Histoquantitation on small jaw specimens

A study is carried out to evaluate the possibility of obtaining a measure of bone mass and bone activity by histoquantitation on small jaw specimens. The material consisted of bone autopsy specimens from premolar regions of mandibles and regions above maxillary second incisors. Microradiograms of 100-micrometer-thick buccal-lingual ground sections were used. Quantitation of bone mass (bone area in percent), bone coarseness (total bone surface/bone area), and bone activity (resorption surfaces/total bone surface) was done in well-defined areas of cortical and trabecular bone by an electronic point-counting system. The analysis indicates that: (1) no further information or accuracy is obtained from measurements of large areas than of small areas of cortical or trabecular bone, (2) the bone mass in the buccal cortex anterior to the mental foramen is independent of side and state of dentition, and (3) maxillary specimens are unsuitable for quantitation of bone mass. A small bone specimen taken anterior to the mental foramen seems to be suitable for histoquantitation, when a reliable and representative measure of bone mass and bone activity in the mandible is desired for analysis of intermandibular differences.