[Effects of ovariectomy on trabecular structures of rat alveolar bone]

To clarify the relationship between estrogen deficiency and tooth loss, we analyzed the trabecular structural changes of mandibular alveolar bone in ovariectomized rats. Two months after ovariectomy, the bone resorptive activity remarkably accelerated and caused high bone turnover. On the other hand, one year after ovariectomy, bone loss and trabecular fragmentation occurred in the alveolar bone, although the accelerated degree of bone resorptive activity was moderate. If elderly women could experience similar changes on their alveolar bone, we must pay more attention to the bone resorption presently after menopause and the trabecular fragility long after menopause.