Relationship Between Osteoporosis and Periodontal Disease: Review of the Literature

OBJECTIVE: Osteoporosis is a skeletal disease characterized by reduction in bone mass and micro architectural changes in the bone, which leads to increased bone fragility. The gold standard for the diagnosis of osteoporosis is the measurement of bone mineral density (BMD) by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Periodontal disease is a chronic destructive disease which can occur in adults, young people and children. Periodontal pathogens cause inflammation of the gingiva which is called gingivitis. When periodontal tissue destruction and alveolar bone loss happen, it is called periodontitis. Since both osteoporosis and periodontal diseases are bone destructive diseases, it has been hypothesized that osteoporosis could be a risk factor for the progression of periodontal disease. The aim of this study is to review the articles assessing the relationship between osteoporosis and periodontitis MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this review, articles were selected from PubMed between January of 1998 and June 2010. Amongst 508 articles identified from the electronic search, 17 articles were selected for a full-text reading based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. RESULTS: Among the 17 studies focused on, 11 studies showed a positive relation between osteoporosis and periodontal disease and the six remaining studies found no significant relation between osteoporosis and periodontal disease. CONCLUSION: These data indicate a greater propensity to lose alveolar bone in subjects with osteoporosis, especially in subjects with preexisting periodontitis. This would indicate that osteoporosis or low systemic BMD should be considered a risk factor for periodontal disease progression.