Dentists at Manchester University have had a break through with new technology Osteodent, which they hope will help to identify patients who are at risk of osteoporosis years before the condition develops. Osteoporosis reduces the density of the bones, which weakens their structure and leaves them prone to breakage; until now, the illness could only be diagnosed after bone damage becomes apparent.
Researchers have now discovered that deterioration in the jaw bone can reveal early on whether this is a problem in other areas of the body. The study involved 5,000 dental x-rays from patients between the ages of 15 and 94, and it showed that accelerated bone loss in the jaw was indicative of similar problems elsewhere in the body. With these results, the dentists have developed software that can assess the patient’s future risk of the disease, allowing them to investigate the problem further before it takes hold.
Hugh Devlin, professor of restorative dentistry at Manchester University developed the technique with several of his colleagues; he explains ‘Dentists are uniquely positioned to provide such a service as they see patients regularly and routinely perform x-ray examinations. Software such as Osteodent could save lives and, with early diagnosis and treatment, including preventative therapy, this could save the NHS many millions of pounds too.’
