Osteoporosis and mandibular bone resorption: a prosthodontic perspective

Previous studies have examined the effects of osteoporosis on the vertebra, femur, and tibia. However, few studies have examined the effects on the mandible by using an animal model to quantify bone resorption. Osteoporosis was induced through pair feedings of a high protein, low calcium diet. Before this induction, experimental and control animals were injected subcutaneously with radioactive tritiated tetracycline. Bone resorption was quantified by measuring the amount of radioactivity present after the test diets were given for 90 days. Standard scintillation techniques were used for extracting the radioactivity from each half mandible. The following conclusions can be made from the results of this investigation: A significant difference in mandibular bone resorption was associated with an osteoporotic inducing diet high in protein and low in calcium. Bone resorption in the experimental group of animals was 17% greater than in the control group. Alkaline phosphatase may be an important indicator of osteoporosis in the Sprague-Dawley rat. Elevated levels were found in those with the osteoporotic diet. The animals in the control and experimental groups consumed similar amounts of their respective diets. No significant difference was found in the weight gains of either group. The histologic picture, although not pathognomonic for osteoporosis, was consistent with many findings in the literature describing osteoporosis. This study has shown that osteoporotic diets may increase the amount of bone resorption in the mandibles of Sprague-Dawley rats.