Bone Thinning Disease

• Dental X-rays help detect osteoporosis

  A computer program that analyses routine dental X-rays could offer a simple, cheap way to detect osteoporosis.

• Postmenopausal women at risk of tooth loss

  The combination of gum disease and thinning bones might increase the risk of tooth loss in postmenopausal women.

• Being thin bad for arthritis patients

  Weighing less than normal appears to increase the risk of dying from heart disease for people with rheumatoid arthritis.

• Thin bones predict heart disease

  Thin bones, as determined by x-rays of the hand, predict heart disease in women. This raises the possibility that treatment to prevent bone thinning, or osteoporosis, may also reduce the risk of heart disease.