Mandibular radiomorphometry using cone beam computed tomography for predicting osteoporosis in postmenopausal women

Abstract

Purpose: This study evaluated the potential use of the computed tomography indices (CTI) on cone beam CT (CBCT) images for an assessment of the bone mineral density (BMD) in postmenopausal osteoporotic women. Materials and Methods: Ninety postmenopausal women were enrolled as the subjects. The BMD of the lumbar vertebrae, femur and forearm were calculated by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) using a DXA scanner. The CBCT images were obtained from the bilateral mental foramen region using a Kodak TM 9500 Cone Beam 3D Dental CT system. The axial, sagittal, and coronal images were reconstructed from the block images using Carestream TM software. The radiomorphometric indices were computed tomography mandibular index superior (CTI(S)), computed tomography mandibular index inferior (CTI(I)), and computed tomography cortical index (CTCI), and computed tomography mental index (CTMI: inferior cortical width). The relationship between the CT measurements and BMDs were assessed and the intra-observer agreement was determined. Results: The results of CBCT indices showed a significant difference among the three studied groups for CTI scores. The mean values of CTMI and CTCI showed higher values in control than in osteopenic and osteoporotic groups and the differences were highly significant (p < 0.001) among the three studied groups. The current study revealed that, mandibular indices on CBCT may help in predicting and detecting osteoporosis.