EVALUATING BONE MARKER LEVELS IN POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN WITH DENTAL IMPLANTS

Background: Postmenopausal estrogen deficiency accelerates systemic bone loss, potentially compromising the
osseointegration and long-term stability of dental implants. In this population, the relationship between systemic bone turnover markers (BTMs), which allow for a non-invasive evaluation of skeletal metabolism, and implant success remains unclear.
Methods: Eighty postmenopausal women, ranging in age from 55 to 75, participated in cross-sectional comparative
research. Forty women having titanium implants that had been functional for at least a year and had osseointegration
were included in the research. Forty women who were similar in age and body mass index but did not have dental
implants made up the control group. Hormone replacement treatment, bisphosphonate usage, and systemic disorders
that were not under control were all reasons for exclusion. Utilizing enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA),
serum samples taken while subjects were fasting were examined for markers of bone formation (BSAP and P1NP) and
bone resorption (CTX-I and TRAPP-5b, respectively).
Results: At the outset, there were no statistically significant variations in the demographics of the groups (p>0.05).
The levels of the resorption marker CTX-I were 0.39 ± 0.07 ng/mL in the implant group and 0.51 ± 0.09 ng/mL in the
control group (p=0.002). Likewise, at 3.8 ± 0.6 U/L compared to 4.5 ± 0.8 U/L (p=0.005), the implant group had
reduced TRAP-5b levels. In comparison to the controls (41.3 ± 6.5 ng/mL; p<0.001), the implant group exhibited a
considerably greater level of the formation marker P1NP (48.5 ± 7.2 ng/mL). The implant group had somewhat higher
BSAP levels (14.1 ± 2.5 U/L vs. 13.2 ± 2.9 U/L; p=0.18), but the difference was not statistically significant.
Conclusion: A systemic bone turnover profile showing decreased bone resorption and improved bone formation is
seen in postmenopausal women who had effective long-term dental implants, in comparison to matched controls.These findings suggest that the functional loading of implants may contribute to a more favorable systemic bone metabolism, and BTMs could serve as potential biomarkers for monitoring skeletal health in this patient population undergoing implant therapy.