[Tomographic evaluation of mastication in women with osteoporosis]

This study was done in 81 women during early physiological menopause divided into three groups: I--controls (without densitometric features of osteoporosis, n = 29); II--osteopenia (n = 27); III--osteoporosis (n = 25). Tomography was done with Somatom Plus instrument (Siemens). Hormone levels were measured with commercial test kits. The masticatory organ was evaluated using a questionnaire based on a WHO study chart from 1986. Mineral density of L1-L5 vertebral bodies in groups II and III was reduced in comparison to controls. Furthermore, significantly more women from these groups used dental prostheses. Partial prostheses of maxilla and mandibula predominated. No statistical differences among the groups were found regarding symptoms associated with temporomandibular joints or results of periodontologic measurements. The causes of early loss of permanent teeth included caries and less frequently, periapical inflammation and delayed or ineffective treatment. The results corroborate the hypothesis that reduced bone mass of the masticatory organ leads to loss of permanent teeth and increases the demand for prosthetic management in menopausal women.