Influence of menopause on mandibular bone quantity and quality in Japanese women receiving dental implants

SUMMARY The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of menopause on bone mineral density and bone width of the mandible. Results indicate that menopause affects the bone quality and quantity of the partially edentulous molar region of the mandible, which should be considered in dental implant treatment for postmenopausal women. INTRODUCTION The recovery of oral function with dental implant is clinically effective and highly predictable. Bone quantity and quality at the implant installation site affect its prognosis; however, the effects of menopause on jaw bone have not been well documented. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of menopause on bone mineral density (BMD) and bone width of the mandible. METHODS The subjects were 72 female patients with a partially edentulous molar region of the mandible: 30 premenopausal and 42 postmenopausal women aged 30 to 70 years. Trabecular BMD was measured with quantitative computed tomography. Trabecular region width (TW) and cortical width (CW) were measured with CT. The BMD, TW, and CW of the two groups were compared. RESULTS The trabecular BMD of postmenopausal women was lower than that of the premenopausal women. The TW of postmenopausal women was greater than that of premenopausal women, whereas the CW of postmenopausal women was significantly smaller than that of premenopausal women. In all these women, BMD correlated negatively with TW and positively with CW. In the premenopausal women, BMD negatively correlated with TW, but it did not correlate with CW. In the postmenopausal women, there was no correlation between BMD and bone width. CONCLUSION These results indicate that menopause affects the bone quality and quantity of the partially edentulous molar region of the mandible, which should be considered in dental implant treatment for postmenopausal women.