A mandibular bone density index for prediction of jaw bone osteoporosis in men

Reduction in mandibular bone mineral density can be measure using panoramic radiography; however, this method has limited applicability in remote areas in Indonesia. Therefore, an urgent need exists for the development of a simple screening tool for predicting mandibular bone density. The objective of this study was to develop an index, consisting of osteoporosis risk factors, for predicting mandibular bone density in men. This study employed a case-control design, and included 89 elderly men (age>60 years) with mandibular bone osteoporosis as cases and 87 elderly men with normal mandibular bone as controls. Several risk factors for osteoporosis were analyzed. In this study, we used panoramic radiography to measure the decrease in mandibular density. The primary risk factors for decreased mandibular bone density in men were testosterone level(p=0.00),calcium intake (p=0.00),age(p=0.01), physical activity (p=0.0),and multivitamin intake (p=0.01). The index for predicting mandibular bone osteoporosis comprised these significant risk factors as well as some risk factors that were important (p < 0.25) but not statistically significant (p>0.05), such as history of fractured bones and food texture. In this study, we developed an index for predicting mandibular bone density in elderly men that can be used as a simple and easy screening tool for predicting osteoporosis.