Alveolar atrophy and decreased skeletal mass of the radius

Using absorptiometry, the bone calcium mass (BCM) at two different sites of the radius was measured in 12 male patients referred for vestibuloplasty of the mandible. The most distal site contained both cortical and cancellous bone while the other site contained cortical bone only. The BCM values were compared with those for normal patients of the same age. The patients with mandibular atrophy all had less bone in the radius than their age-matched controls (p less than 0.01). This is indicative of a systemic factor or factors operating both in the mandible and in the radius. The examination prior to oral surgery should therefore include an evaluation for diseases causing general bone loss.