Your dentist can detect osteoporosis
By means of X-rays can help dentists to detect osteoporosis, especially among older and middle-aged women. It writes Professor, DDS. Ib Sewerin in an article in Dentistry magazine.
According to WHO, about suffering. 400,000 Danes of osteoporosis, also called osteoporosis, which reduces the strength of the bones and causes frequent fractures. The most common injuries are forearm and hip fractures and ryghvirvelsammenfald. The disease predominantly affects women, and about one in three women will experience a hip fracture during her life. Despite the prevalence of osteoporosis, it is neither economical nor practical to systematically screen the population for the disease.
Most Danes come regularly to the dentist, where they regularly must have taken X-rays of teeth and jaw. Osteoporosis is evident eg Typically, in that the width of the lower jaw bone is slightly narrower than the normal. In addition, a bit of the bone being lost, or it may be less strong and durable than normal.
From X-ray images and a series of simple questions about health and lifestyle can dentist thus help to reveal whether a patient has osteoporosis or are at risk of developing the disease.
Dentists can help to identify patients with osteoporosis at an early stage and send them on to further medical examinations, so the disease serious consequences can best be prevented.
The full article can be read in Tandlægebladet No. 8 2009 or www.tandlaegebladet.dk Recommended Articles:
