Bone loss in the oral cavity is a significant problem in the United States. In the dentate, oral bone loss may manifest as a loss of tooth support. In edentate individuals, osteopenia may augment local anatomic, biological, and mechanical factors resulting in extensive ridge atrophy. There have been speculations in the medical and dental literature that generalized skeletal osteopenia may be conducive to accelerated loss of oral bone. Thus, skeletal osteopenia may influence the need for and outcome of periodontal, pre-prosthetic, and implant surgical procedures. The objective of this research is to describe changes in oral bone mass and quality with age and in relation to skeletal bone status in health and disease. In accord with the research objectives, investigators from a designated Bone Density Center must recruit 1000 peri- and post-menopausal women enrolled in the observational component of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI). At baseline and at 3-year intervals as dictated by the WHI study protocol, participants will receive a thorough oral examination, including standardized radiographs of the posterior teeth or corresponding edentulous spaces. Interim information on self-care will be obtained by querying participants and their dental providers will be asked to provide yearly updates of patient records. Data from the oral component is being linked to the WHI participant's file thereby establishing the framework for descriptive and analytic analyses of tooth and oral bone status in relation to health behaviors, medical status, and skeletal bone density assessments. As of December 1996, 240 participants have undergone baseline examinations. Preliminary cross-sectional analysis using data from the first 160 participants indicate a significant association between basal bone density as measured from intraoral radiographs and hip bone mineral density. This is one of the major hypotheses being tested in this study.
