Abstract
Periodontitis is a highly prevalent chronic inflammatory disease caused by anaerobic gram-negative oral infection. A clinical diagnosis of periodontitis is made by measuring alveolar bone loss on radiological examination. Mandibular bone mainly consists of cancellous bone and bone marrow. However, radiological examination reveals only cortical bone resorption, and does not provide complete information concerning the bony conditions, such as histopathological changes in the bone marrow. Evaluation of bone marrow is critical for the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of patients with various diseases. However, little is known about the association between periodontitis and bone marrow edema in the mandible. The purpose of this study was to use Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to investigate bone marrow edema caused by periodontitis in the mandible. This prospective study included 104 patients (52 men, 52 women; 21-78 years of age, mean age 56.3 years) evaluated during a 6-year period from August 2006 to August 2012. Periodontal condition and MR signal intensity of the mandibular bone marrow were evaluated in all patients. Six regions, (bilateral incisors, premolar teeth, and molar teeth) were evaluated. MRI revealed bone marrow edema at 365 of 412 sites evaluated (88.6 %). In conclusion MRI revealed bone marrow abnormalities in a high percentage of mandibular regions with periodontitis, suggesting that bone marrow edema in the mandible can be caused by periodontitis.
