Densitometric study of dry human mandible

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the variability of bone density among three zones of adult human dry mandible and its relationship to age, gender, and dental status. Thirty-one dried mandibles (16 female ranging between 23 and 82 yr and 15 male ranging between 34 and 85 yr; 6 samples completely edentulous and 6 edentulous only in the molar-premolar zone) were analyzed by a Hologic QDR 1000 X-ray densitometer according to three zones: the ramus, the molar-premolar zone, and the incisor-canine zone. We found a significant inverse correlation between bone density of the ramus and age (r = 0.41, p = 0.02). The bone density of the incisor-canine zone was higher than the density of the other zones; males had a higher bone density than females in all zones analyzed. Our data suggest that mandibular bone density is influenced by age and gender in different ways according to the specific mandibular portion considered, whereas the dental status does not seem to influence mandibular bone density.