The objective of the present study was to compare assessments of the mandibular bone as fracture risk indicators for 277 men and women. The mandibular trabecular bone was evaluated in periapical radiographs, using a visual index, as dense, mixed dense and sparse, or sparse. Bone texture was analysed using a computer‐based method in which the number of transitions from trabeculae to intertrabecular spaces was calculated. The sum of the sizes and intensities of the spaces between the trabeculae was calculated using Jaw‐X software. Women had a statistically significantly greater number of fractures and a higher frequency of sparse mandibular bone. The OR for having suffered a fracture with visually sparse trabecular bone was highest for the male group (OR = 5.55) and lowest for the female group (OR = 3.35). For bone texture as an indicator of previous fracture, the OR was significant for the female group (OR = 2.61) but not for the male group, whereas the Jaw‐X calculations did not differentiate between fractured and non‐fractured groups. In conclusion, all bone‐quality assessments showed that women had a higher incidence of sparse trabecular bone than did men. Only the methods of visual assessment and trabecular texture were significantly correlated with previous bone fractures.