Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology (Jan 2020)
Computer-assisted measurement of radiographical alveolar bone density using intraoral radiographs: Preliminary study on comparison between men and women in young adults
Abstract
Background: As bone mineral is one of the major determinants of bone strength, its exact measurement should be useful for the diagnosis of osteoporosis, as well as for the prediction of fracture risk and monitoring of therapeutically response. Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate computer-assisted measurement of radiographical alveolar bone density using intraoral radiographs, especially comparison between men and women in young adults. Materials and Methods: Forty-two patients in young adults (20 men and 22 women; age 22–25 years; and mean age 23.2 years) of the mandibular premolar region who underwent intraoral radiographs with imaging plate (IP) detector and computer analysis system “DentalSCOPE” were included in this study. The DentalSCOPE had a special X-ray beam indicator in which a special calcium carbonate reference object was embedded. IP-based digital X-ray images were input into the DentalSCOPE system. The DentalSCOPE software measured the image density of the reference object automatically and calculated the mineral density value of an arbitrary region of interest (ROI). The mineral density of a rectangular ROI in the periapical region of mandibular premolars was evaluated. The age and alveolar bone density were compared between men and women using the Mann–Whitney U-test. P <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: There was no difference in age between men (23.1 ± 0.9 years) and women (23.2 ± 0.9 years) in this study. The alveolar bone density of the mandibular premolar region in men (0.98 ± 0.08 g/cm2) was significantly higher than that in women (0.88 ± 0.14 g/cm2, P = 0.006). Conclusions: This study suggested that DentalSCOPE may be useful for evaluating the mineral density of alveolar bone.
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