ABSTRACT
Osteoporosis and periodontitis are diseases that affect a large number of men and women in the United States and worldwide, with increasing incidence with advancing age. Osteoporosis is a skeletal disorder characterized by compromised bone strength predisposing to increased risk of fracture, with bone strength determined by both bone density and bone quality1. Periodontitis has historically been described as an infectionmediated process characterized by resorption of the alveolar bone as well as loss of the soft tissue attachment to the tooth, and is a major cause of tooth loss in adults. It is assessed by oral examination, and typically characterized by determining the amount of loss of clinical attachment of the soft tissue adjacent to the teeth and the depth of pocket between the tooth and gum, or by measuring loss of alveolar crestal bone height (ACH) surrounding the teeth.
