Bone loss in the oral cavity may occur due to many causes, including infection, systemic or local alterations in the host response, or multifactorial causes. The purpose of this article is to review our present understanding of the major causes of oral bone loss in adults, with special emphasis on two major oral diseases: periodontitis and residual ridge resorption. Periodontitis is characterized by resorption of the alveolar bone as well as loss of the soft tissue attachment to the tooth. Progressive periodontitis will result in continued alveolar bone loss and may result in tooth mobility, abscesses, and ultimately tooth loss. Although the reported prevalence may vary according to the epidemiologic study design, the 1985 National Survey of Oral Health of United States Adults indicated that 94% of female senior citizens examined demonstrated at least one site with at least 2 mm loss of attachment. Resorption of alveolar bone that occurs following tooth extraction is termed residual ridge resorption. In many cases, the denture will loosen because of the inability of the resorbed ridge to stabilize the prosthesis. In the most severe cases, the denture may impinge on the exposed mandibular nerve, resulting in pain or total inability to tolerate the prostheses. Although clear statistics on the prevalence of residual ridge resorption are not available, this boss loss may result in the need for new dentures to replace ill-fitting prostheses.
[Current knowledge on resorption of the edentulous alveolar ridge].INTRODUCTION: Due to inside physiological processes of the bone tissue of the residual ridge, the above is identical with the bone tissue in other parts of the body. All bones which contain a larger percentage of substance spongiosa are very sensitive to the changes in remodelation. In mandibula the arrangement of the bone trabeculas is in the same direction with the spongious bone traectoria. In maxillae, functional demands for transmitting the forces, are fulfilled by a larger number of trabeculas per square unit. The atrophia of the residual ridge was a result of teeth loss, which means that there was no working tension on the bone, affected by the periodontal ligament in a physiological way.
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