Skeletal osteopenia and residual ridge resorption

Increased residual ridge resorption resulting from postmenopausal skeletal osteopenia has been a long-standing clinical assumption. This study was conducted to determine the relationship between the degree of residual ridge resorption, sex, and the age of the patient. The technique of measuring mandibular resorption uses panoramic radiographs as described by Wical and Swoope. Six readers received technique instructions and were then tested for uniformity. An analysis of variance demonstrated no significant difference between readers (p greater than 0.10). A random selection of 459 radiographs of edentulous patients were then measured by using a blind technique to determine the amount of residual ridge resorption. Analysis of this data demonstrated a significantly larger percentage of women with class 3 (severe) residual ridge resorption (p less than 0.01) but this difference could not be related to the occurrence of menopause.