DESCRIPTION: The research in this Small Grant (R03) proposal addresses the hypothesis that dentate elderly men who undergo accelerated alveolar bone loss and tooth loss possess variants of the vitamin D receptor (VDR) genotype which have been previously associated with increased systemic bone loss. Three hundred subjects participating in the Dental Longitudinal Study component of the VA Normative Aging Study will be examined and have relevant information, such as changes in alveolar bone mass and tooth loss incidence, culled from their existing medical and dental records. New data generated by this project will be the determination of allelic variants in the Taq-1 and Apa-1 polymorphisms of the VDR gene. This information will be acquired by PCR-RFLP analysis of genomic DNA from mononuclear cells. A variety of sociodemographic, behavioral and nutritional parameters will be considered in the data analysis since host and environmental variables may interact with the genotype and be reflected by variations in bone and tooth loss.