Radiolucent periapical lesions and bone mineral density in post-menopausal women.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To investigate the relationship between radiolucent periapical lesions and bone mineral density in post-menopausal women. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Seventy-five post-menopausal women were recruited for the study. Bone mineral density was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Three groups were established healthy bone group, osteopenic group and osteoporotic group. Periapical radiolucencies were diagnosed on the basis of examination of digital panoramic radiographs. Statistical analysis was carried out using anova and chi-squared tests, and logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: In both the osteopenic and osteoporotic groups, 25% of women showed at least one periapical radiolucency, whereas this was only 7.4% in the healthy bone group (odds ratio = 4.2; p = 0.061). After multivariate logistic regression analysis adjusting for covariates (age, number of teeth, number of root-filled teeth and number of teeth with coronal restorations), a marginally significant association was evident between bone mineral density and the presence of periapical radiolucencies (odds ratio = 1.9; CI 95% = 1.0-3.8; p = 0.050). CONCLUSIONS: After adjusting for covariates, low bone mineral density is marginally associated with a higher frequency of radiolucent periapical lesions.