Osteoporosis and reduction of residual ridge in edentulous patients

The relationship between the height of the mandibular residual ridge and the severity of osteoporosis in elderly edentulous patients was investigated. The height of the mandibular residual ridge was measured by use of the mental foramen on panoramic radiographs. The severity of osteoporosis was determined by examining frontal and lateral radiographs of the vertebrae. All of the patients received a blood analysis. The correlation coefficient between age and the height of residual ridge was -0.38, which was statistically significant (p < 0.01). The residual ridge in women was lower than that of men, showing a statistical significance (p < 0.01). The correlation coefficient was -0.42 between degree of severity of osteoporosis and the height of the residual ridge, which was significant (p < 0.01). The parathyroid hormone level was high in the patients with a low residual ridge, and the calcitonin (CT) level was low. This study indicates that osteoporosis strongly affects reduction of the residual ridge in edentulous patients.