The mandibular angle in osteoporotic men

Objectives: Osteoporosis induces the reduction of bone mass and screening for low bone mineral density (BMD) by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) has been the current gold standard test to determine osteoporosis. Panoramic radiography is widely used in dentistry for routine examination of jaws. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between the mandibular angle (MA) values and the vertebral bone mineral density (v-BMD) in 20 osteoporotic men. Study design: In panoramic radiograms of osteoporotic men, the means were calculated for the mandibular angle values measured in the right and left mandible. v-BMD values were also calculated by manual analysis of DXA scans. The correlation between these variables was assessed. Results: A negatively significant correlation was found between the MA and v-BMD. Conclusions: The size of the mandibular angle decreases when osteoporosis increases. It is suggested that the mandibular angle may be useful in clinical dental practice to identify osteoporotic men with previously undetected low bone mineral density.