Abstract

Osteoporosis is a worldwide epidemic, expresses high morbidity and mortality, resulting in high social [1]. Today, the examination of bone densitometry by Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is the gold standard test for diagnosing the disease. However, its cost and viability are restricted mainly to underdeveloped and emerging countries. The availability of equipment for bone densitometry in Brazil in 2005 was 0.8 per 1 million inhabitants [2,3]. Panoramic radiography has been used to screen patients with low bone mineral density (BMD) evaluating the thickness and shape of the mandibular cortica [4-9]. The fact of panoramic radiograph cover important anatomical structures and have a low cost can be of great value to Dentistry providing the dentist the diagnosis of maxillary bone quality.