ABSTRACT
AIM: The aim of the present study was to evaluate how aging, sex, and hypogonadism influence mandibular bone density with and without the benefits of hormone treatment. METHODS: Three-month old Wistar rats were randomly assigned to three experimental groups, with eights animals per group: controls, castrated (orchiectomized [ORX], ovariectomized [OVX]) and castrated with hormonal treatment (ORX + testosterone, OVX + estradiol benzoate). Females were previously evaluated by vaginal cytology. The corporal mass was verified weekly, and after three experimental periods (90, 120, and 150 days), the animals were killed. Blood was collected, and bones underwent densitometric and biomechanical analyses. RESULTS: After castration, the male rats demonstrated low gain in body weight compared to females (P < .05). Male and female castrated animals presented serum concentrations of sex steroid hormones lower than the control group (P < .05). Bone mineral density and biomechanical properties of the L4 vertebrae and femur were reduced earlier in females than in males (P < .05). However, mandibles were affected only in the male rats at the most chronic experimental period. CONCLUSION: Hypogonadism promotes alterations in the mandible over chronic periods, especially in males, and these alterations could be minimized by hormone treatment.