[Possibilities for preoperative determination of transplant quality using an osteoporosis index]

Preprosthetic procedures and reconstructive measurements are typically performed in elder patients. In this age group osteoporotic changes of the skeleton are common. The facial bones are persistently envolved within this process. Preoperative assessment of bone height and width are nowadays routine procedures in preprosthetic surgery, little attention is paid towards the bone quality at the recipient site of dental implants and the donor and recipient sites of bone-grafts. This study is performed to investigate the possibility to evaluate the bone quality prior to preprosthetic and reconstructive operations. The amount of the mineralization of the skeleton was determined in 17 patients which were scheduled for preprosthetic and reconstructive surgery with the help of Dual Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry (DEXA). The amount of mineralization of the skeleton and the osteoporosis-index, which were determined with the help of DPX-scans, are representative also for the facial skeleton. In our preliminary study patients with a low skeletal mineralization have a tendency towards increased complications after preprosthetic and bone-graft surgery. In addition the preoperative assessment of bone quality serves the basis for a accompanying osteoporosis therapy.