Panoramic dental radiographs can be used to help identify postmenopausal women with low skeletal bone mineral density (BMD), meaning that screening for spinal osteoporosis could begin in the dentist’s office, according to a study in the December issue of American Journal of Roentgenology.
Questionnaires are used widely as the first step in determining which women need to have BMD testing. This study found that dental radiographs were just as sensitive as questionnaires in identifying those women.
The study included 316 post-menopausal women who had no symptoms of osteoporosis. Researchers divided the subjects into two groups: those who had a history of hysterectomy, oophorectomy or estrogen use and those who did not.
All subjects had panoramic dental radiographs, from which researchers estimated the cortical shape and width of their jaws. Subjects also filled out osteoporosis self-assessment tool questionnaires.
When looking at cortical shape, researchers found that the dental radiographs were 87 percent sensitive in identifying women with spinal osteoporosis in the group with no history of hysterectomy, oophorectomy or estrogen use and 80 percent sensitive in the other group.
The questionnaire had an 87 percent sensitivity rate for the women with no history of hysterectomy, oophorectomy or estrogen use and 72 percent sensitivity rate for those with such a history.
Lead author Dr. Akira Taguchi noted that while dental radiographs are not as specific as questionnaires, they can be reviewed as a first step in determining which women need additional testing, as radiographs often already are being taken.
"Because dental panoramic X-rays are taken for the diagnosis of conditions affecting the teeth and jaws in clinical practice worldwide, the dentist could also look at the mandibular cortical shape and width and refer the appropriate women for further BMD testing," Dr. Taguchi said.
