Oral Manifestations of Metabolic Bone Diseases

Techniques that more directly assess oral bone loss typically involve the use of radiographic measurements. The most common include measures of alveolar crestal height (ACH) and assessment of ACH. Because teeth can be lost from decay and trauma and clinicians use various thresholds for determining when teeth should be extracted, it is difficult to determine whether there is an association between tooth loss and osteoporosis. As association between oral bone mass and low-trauma (osteoporotic) fractures has been consistently reported using different methods for assessing oral health. The oral manifestations of renal osteodystrophy are primarily the consequence of secondary hyperparathyroidism and share many features of primary hyperparathyroidism including loss of the lamina dura, "ground glass" appearance of the bone, loss of trabeculation, and brown tumor formation. Metabolic bone diseases and periodontal disease are major health concerns in the United States, especially in older populations.