Bone Changes During Growth in Patients with Osteogenesis Imperfecta.

Area of Science:

• Dentistry
• Orthodontics
• Pediatrics

Background:

• Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) is a genetic disorder affecting collagen, leading to reduced bone mineral density and increased fracture risk.
• Radiomorphometric indices from panoramic radiographs are used to assess bone density, but trabeculation in pediatric OI patients is understudied.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze dental panoramic indices in cortical and trabeculated bone of children diagnosed with Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI).
• To evaluate the influence of OI disease severity and antiresorptive treatment on these bone indices.

Main Methods:

• Sixty-six pediatric patients with OI undergoing antiresorptive treatment were compared to age- and sex-matched controls.
• Image J software analyzed three radiomorphometric indices (MCI, SVE, MCW) from orthopantomographies.

Main Results:

• OI patients exhibited a higher prevalence of type C2 and C3 Mandibular Cortical Index (MCI) compared to controls (p < 0.05).
• No significant differences were found in visual estimation of cortical width (SVE) or mandibular cortical width (MCW) between groups.
• Zoledronic acid treatment correlated with more C1 MCI cases, while pamidronate (alone or combined) was associated with C1 and C2 MCI.

Conclusions:

• Most OI patients presented with a thin SVE index, C1 or C2 MCI type, and an MCW of 2.9 mm.
• Bone mineral density variations were observed related to growth and different antiresorptive therapies.
• Specific antiresorptive agents like zoledronic acid and pamidronate showed distinct associations with MCI types in OI patients.