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Dental X-rays can predict fractures, study finds

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The use of dental X-rays may help predict which patients are at risk of fracture in other parts of the body, according to researchers with the University of Gothenburg.

"We've seen that sparse bone structure in the lower jaw in mid-life is directly linked to the risk of fractures in other parts of the body later in life," researcher Lauren Lissner stated in a University of Gothenburg news release.

According to the release, a previous study from the University of Gothenburg's Sahlgrenska Academy and Region Vastra Gotaland demonstrated that a sparse bone structure in the trabecular bone of the lower jaw is linked to a greater chance of having a history of fracture in other parts of the body. The new study, published in Bone, shows it is possible to use dental X-rays to investigate the bone structure of the lower jaw — and thus predict which patients are at a greater risk for fractures in the future.

The researchers examined 731 participants in the Prospective Population Study of Women in Gothenburg who underwent baseline dental examinations in 1968. Follow-up for the study lasted until 2006. According to the study, 222 of these patients had their first fracture within that follow-up period. Panoramic radiographs from 1968 and/or 1980 were used to define mandibular trabeculation as one of three categories: dense, mixed dense and sparse, or sparse. Time to fracture was ascertained for all patients. For the first 12 years of the study, fractures were self-reported during follow-up examinations.

The study showed that the bone structure of the jaw was sparse in around 20% of women aged 38 years to 54 years when their first examination was performed — and these women were at a significantly greater risk of fracture. The study also found that the older the individual, the stronger the link between sparse jaw bone structure and fractures in other parts of the body.

Reference:

• Jonasson G, Sundh V, Ahlqwist M, et al. A prospective study of mandibular trabecular bone to predict fracture incidence in women: A low-cost screening tool in the dental clinic. Bone. 2011. doi:10.1016/j.bone.2011.06.036

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