Relation of bone turnover markers to periodontal disease and jaw bone morphology in elderly Japanese subjects.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relation of bone turnover markers such as bone formation and resorption to periodontal disease and jaw bone morphology in elderly Japanese subjects.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

We selected 148 subjects for participation in this study. All subjects were aged 77 years. The periodontal examination included the assessment of clinical attachment level (CAL). Biochemical parameters of bone turnover measured included urinary deoxypyridinoline, serum osteocalcin (S-OC), and serum bone-specific alkaline phosphatase. In addition, to evaluate the jawbone, we used the mandibular inferior cortex classification (MIC).

RESULTS

Serum osteocalcin had significantly higher (males: P = 0.038, females: P = 0.041) tendency for MIC Class (ANOVA). Multiple linear regression results showed that the number of remaining teeth and S-OC were negatively associated with the percentage of sites with > or =6 mm CAL (R(2) = 0.322, P < 0.001). Coefficients and betas were -0.71, -0.46 (P < 0.001) and -1.11, -0.28 (P = 0.002), respectively.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, this study suggests that there is a significant relation of bone turnover markers to periodontal disease and jaw bone morphology in elderly Japanese subjects.