Abstract
Intraoral radiography is widely used as an examination method for primary imaging in clinical dentistry, and it might be useful for evaluating alveolar bone mineral density （BMD） for treatment assessment and the early detection of osteoporosis. However, a consensus on the quantitative value of alveolar BMD has yet to be established. The purpose of this study is to quantitatively evaluate alveolar BMD in the anterior area of the maxilla and mandible in healthy young adults using intraoral radiography with computer‑assisted measurement. This study included 30 young adults who agreed to participate. Intraoral radiographs of the maxillary and mandibular anterior teeth were taken using an indicator with a special calcium carbonate reference object. The images were input into the computer-assisted measurement software （DentalSCOPE system） and the alveolar BMD was measured by setting regions of interest （ROIs） in the area between the roots of adjacent teeth （interalveolar septum area） and the periapical area. The alveolar BMD results were compared between 1） males and females, 2） maxilla and mandible, and 3） the interalveolar septum area and the periapical area using the two-way analysis of variance （P＜0.05）. The alveolar BMD of the maxillary and mandibular anterior teeth of males was significantly higher than that of females. Additionally, the alveolar BMD of the periapical area was significantly higher than that of the interalveolar septum area. Considering the differences in alveolar BMD depending on gender and location, future investigations will need to include other locations as well.
