The Differences between Panoramic Mandibular Indexes in Young and Older Women on Panoramic Radiograph

Osteoporosis is often misinterpreted as an age-related disease, but this disease can affect anyone, including young people. The physiological decrease in bone mass begins after reaching peak bone mass (PBM) or peak bone density level. To compare cortical thickness variations between young and older women to obtain data distribution on average panoramic mandibular index (PMI) values. In the years 2018 and 2019 at the Dental Hospital Faculty of Dentistry Universitas Indonesia, 225 digital panoramic images of female patients aged 31–75 years were evaluated using a crosssectional research design. The measured variable was the ratio of the average cortical bone thickness using the PMI. Samples were divided by age: subjects aged 31–45 years were used as a reference to the standard PMI value, compared with subjects aged 46–60 years and those aged 61–75 years. The mean and standard deviations of categories 1, 2, and 3 were 0.30 ± 0.032, 0.28 ± 0.042, and 0.24 ± 0.063, respectively. There was a statistically significant difference between age groups on evaluation of the PMI (p < 0.05, ANOVA test). It can be concluded that the measurements obtained show a gradual decline with age, and there are statistically significant differences between age categories. The three mean measurements correlate with PMI threshold values (<0.3 mm), and categories 2 and 3 (age >45 years) can be categorized as ages at risk of osteoporosis.