Abstract
Bone quality is very important for successful implant treatment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of menopause and aging on mandibular bone mineral densities (BMD).
The subjects were 28 women with mandibular distal extension defect, 13 pre-menopausal and 15 postmenopausal, ranging in age from those in their 30 s to 70 s. They were divided into pre- and postmenopausal groups and the latter was subdivided into 1-9 years after menopause group and ＞ 10 years group. Trabecular and cortical BMD were measured using quantitative computer tomography.
The results were as follows.
1. Trabecular and cortical BMD were significantly low in the postmenopausal group.
2. Trabecular BMD was not affected by aging in both the pre- and postmenopausal groups.
3. Cortical BMD was not affected by aging in the premenopausal group; however, it decreased with aging in the postmenopausal group.
These results indicate that menopause rather than aging affects the decrease in mandibular BMD.
