Presenile mandibular atrophy: its aetiology, clinical evaluation and treatment by jaw augmentation

Presenile mandibular atrophy has been regarded as a bony condition in isolation. Direct vision of the mandible at the lower border and ascending rami at augmentation procedures in two cases clearly showed that the condition had affected the whole bone in all dimensions. A suggestion is made that mandibular atrophy arises as a result of many contributory factors, some local, but usually based on generalised undisclosed malabsorption states or osteoporosis.