Bone quality analysis of jaw bones in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus—post mortem anatomical and microstructural evaluation

Objectives With the higher risk of dental implant failure with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), there is a need to characterize the jaw bones in those individuals. The aim of this post mortem study was to compare jaw bone quality of individuals with T2DM to healthy controls. Material and methods Bone cores from the edentulous lower first molar region and the region of mandibular angle were collected from male individuals with T2DM ( n = 10, 70.6 ± 4.5 years) and healthy controls ( n = 11, 71.5 ± 3.8 years) during autopsy. Within the T2DM, a subgroup treated with oral antidiabetics (OAD) and one on insulin were identified. Bone quality assessment encompassed evaluation of bone microstructure, matrix composition, and cellular activity, using microcomputed tomography (micro-CT), quantitative backscattered electron imaging (qBEI), Raman spectroscopy, and bone histomorphometry. Results In the mandibular angle, T2DM showed 51% lower porosity of the lingual cortex ( p = 0.004) and 21% higher trabecular thickness ( p = 0.008) compared to control. More highly mineralized bone packets were found in the buccal cortex of the mandibular angle in insulin-treated compared to OAD-treated T2DM group ( p = 0.034). In the molar region, we found higher heterogeneity of trabecular calcium content in T2DM insulin compared to controls ( p = 0.015) and T2DM OAD ( p = 0.019). T2DM was associated with lower osteocyte lacunar size in the trabecular bone of the molar region (vs. control p = 0.03). Conclusions Alterations in microstructure, mineralization, and osteocyte morphology were determined in jaw bone of individuals with T2DM compared to controls. Clinical relevance Future studies will have to verify if the mild changes determined in this study will translate to potential contraindications for dental implant placements.