Abstract
The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between periodontitis and osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. Eighty one postmenopausal women with chronic periodontitis who agreed to participate in this study were divided into 2 groups, based on the radiographic analysis of the degree of bone atrophy of the lumbar spine : 26 subjects without bone atrophy (Group N, mean age 58.4±6.1) and 55 subjects with bone atrophy (Group A, mean age 59.4±6.8). Periodontal parameters included the number of teeth present, probing depth (PD), clinical attachment level (CAL), the percentage of bleeding on probing (BOP) and alveolar bone loss (ABL). The odds ratio (OR) of periodontal parameters in relation to Group A was calculated. Percentages of sites with PD≥7 mm and CAL≥7 mm in group A were significantly higher than those in group N (p<0.05). The age-adjusted OR of PD, percentages of sites with PD≥4 mm and BOP to bone atrophy of the lumbar spine were 3.1 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.1—8.7), 3.0 (95%CI 1.0—8.7), 3.1 (95%CI 1.1—9.3), respectively. Within the limit of these results, the severity of periodontal disease in postmenopausal women correlates with the bone atrophy of the lumbar spine, and we should pay attention to the potential presence of osteoporosis when treating postmenopausal women with chronic periodontitis.
