Osteoporosis: the effect on mandibular bone resorption and therapeutic possibilities by means of implant prostheses.

In recent years, considerable attention has been given to the interrelationship between the outbreak of a systemic process of reduction in the bone mass and the possibility of a significant resorption of the alveolar bone. The degree of alveolar bone loss increases with age, and this may be related, at least in part, to the systemic conditions that also encourage the development of osteoporosis. Although numerous studies have documented the possible role of osteoporosis as a deteriorating factor in both tooth loss and mandibular bone resorption, this article underlines how the morphostructural evolution of the edentulous mandible is primarily correlated to mechanical factors as a result of modifications to its function. We will also take into consideration the therapeutic advantages provided by prosthetic rehabilitation on osseointegrated implants, in terms of reinstatement of the loading conditions through patterns of propagation of mechanical forces that are similar to physiologic ones.