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Background. Osteoporosis is a metabolic disease characterized by increased bone fragility. As it is characterized as a general skeletal disease, changes can also be seen in the stomatognathic system (edentulism, wrong fitting of dentures, etc.). The question is whether early changes in the salivary mineral content and acid-base balance may reflect skeletal status and risk of bone fracture. Objectives. The objective of the study was to evaluate whether minerals in the saliva were associated with skeletal fractures in a population of postmenopausal women. Materials and methods. In this observational study, dental examinations along with the collection of saliva were conducted in 117 randomly recruited women (mean age 64.6 ±5.9 years). The study group included 23 study participants with fractures, of which 10 had a history of osteoporotic fractures. Saliva samples for mineral content including copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), calcium (Ca), and phosphorus (P), as well as salivary pH were collected and analyzed to determine associations between salivary mineral content and fracture risk. Results. As a result, the median pH value was 6.8, and the median levels for Cu (0.35 µmol/L), Zn (0.61 µmol/L), Ca (0.7 mmol/L), and P (6.64 mmol/L) were observed. No differences were noted in salivary mineral content and acid-basic balance between the fractured and non-fractured participants. Conclusions. The results of our study suggest that salivary mineral content has limited usability in predicting skeletal fragility in postmenopausal women when used alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. Although the effect of involutional processes that occurs in the maxilla and mandible of edentulous subjects is obvious, the problem of factors definitely determining the direction of changes still remains unsolved. This study was aimed at determining the relationship between facial morphology and the structure of the alveolar part and the body of the mandible in edentulous complete denture wearers. Materials and methods. Twenty-five healthy edentulous Caucasian patients in the 70.5 ± 9 years of age group were examined. All patients underwent tele-X-ray examination with the presence of currently used dentures in the oral cavity. To assess morphological parameters of the facial skeleton, cephalograms were analyzed according to Ricketts and Mc Namara method. To assess the mandible morphology, the films were measured using the method of Tallgren. Results. The period of edentulism was found to be negatively correlated with the anterior segment of the body of the mandible within its symphysis. The parameter corresponding to the location of the first lower molar showed a directly proportional correlation with G'-Sn', G'-Me', Sn'-Me', N-Ans, N-Me, Ans-Me, Co-Gn and Co-Go. Positive correlations were found between the parameters describing contour of the alveolar part of the body of the mandible and mandibular symphysis and G'-Me', Sn'-Me', N-Me, Ans-Me describing the height of the occlusal vertical dimension. Conclusion. The study showed a directly proportional correlation between the vertical occlusal dimension of the lower face conditioned by prosthetic rehabilitation and the height of the alveolar part in the lateral regions of the mandible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]