Abstract
“Osteoporosis" is featured as decrease of the density of bone, which disease tends to increase the risk of fracture. In Japan, the number of patients suffering from osteoporosis is presumed as many as approximately 11,000,000 persons. The number of them suffering from the disease of osteoporosis which have been proved to be due to tumble or fracture for long-term care is as many as approximately 12 %.
So long as these accidents such as fracture, etc. havenʼt occurred, however, most of patients may be unaware of the subjective symptom thereof. In fact, they will not consult a general practitioner in most cases. The rate of medical check they have consulted a general practitioner of osteoporosis was only approximately 5 %, among which cases approximately 20 % of them had been subjected to medical care.
Therefore, we consider that if it is possible to easily make the medical check of those patients consulting dentists for alveolar bone density, therby urging the patients to visit their dentists jauntily to be examined of the degree of osteoporosis, it will positively be able to contribute to decreasing the number of such debilitated patients as lying down on the bed caused of fracture from the viewpoint of social problem.
The “Alveolar Bone Density Measurement"(Bone Right® , Dental Graphic Inc.)used in the clinical dental check this time functions to make an alveolar bone density measurement in a high level of precision with ease handling in low cost in such a way as properly adjusting the degree of shading of the image of a dental X-ray photograph and indicating it in a histogram.
The objective samples for the measurements of alveolar bone mineral density （Hereinafter to be referred to as “al-BMD”）made this time were taken out of those 99 women ranging from 40 to 65 years old who havenʼt ever been diagnosed to be the symptom of osteoporosis.
As the result, it has been found that the density of bone decreases proportionally as the age becomes older.
Notwithstanding that those patients of 85 or under in terms of al-BMD who had not been diagnosed to be “osteoporosis" were objective for this medical check, the result of the medical check indicated that the ratio increased up to 2%, 7%, and 14% for 40 to 49 years old, 50 to 59 years old, and 60 to 69 years old respectively.
As the result, it corroborated of the low rate of those patients to be diagnosed of osteoporosis with many patients potential of osteoporosis.
We also obtained such data that though those patients to be objective for our study were interested in the result of al-BMD, in fact they did not visit an orthopedics.
