Abstract
BackgroundMenopause, the absence of ovarian sex steroids, is frequently accompanied by emotional and physiological changes in a woman´s body, as well as oral health changes. The present study aimed to evaluate the association between the periodontal health status and emotional and physical well-being among postmenopausal women (PMW) in comparison with regularly menstruating premenopausal women (RMPW).MethodsA total of 115 women (PMW, n = 56, mean age ± SD: 54 ± 5; RMPW, n = 59, mean age ± SD: 41 ± 4) received a comprehensive medical assessment and a full-mouth oral examination. All completed the Women’s Health Questionnaire (WHQ) to measure emotional and physical well-being. The corresponding bone mineral density (BMD) scores were obtained from participants´ medical records.ResultsTooth loss was significantly higher in PMW than RMPW after adjusting for age (3.88 ± 2.41 vs 2.14 ± 2.43, p < 0.05). No significant difference was found in the prevalence of periodontitis between the two groups (PMW: 39.2%, RMPW: 32.2%, p > 0.05). The prevalence of periodontitis was associated with fewer daily brushing sessions in PMW (p = 0.021). Based on the WHQ, both PMW and RMPW with periodontitis had higher ‘’depressed mood’’ scores compared to periodontally healthy women (p = 0.06 and p = 0.038, respectively). The women who reported fewer daily toothbrushing sessions found to have higher depressive mood scores (p = 0.043).ConclusionsPresence of periodontitis is associated with the emotional and physical well-being of women and reinforcement of oral healtcare is recommended at different stages of a woman’s life including menopause to reduce the risk for early tooth loss in women.
Highlights
Menopause, the absence of ovarian sex steroids, is frequently accompanied by emotional and physiological changes in a womans body, as well as oral health changes
This study aimed to investigate the relationship between clinical periodontal health and physical and emotional symptoms extracted by Women’s Health Questionnaire (WHQ) scores, in postmenopausal women (PMW), in comparison with regularly menstruating premenopausal women (RMPW)
The present findings indicate that women after menopause experience more tooth loss, higher Body mass index (BMI) and concomitant systemic diseases
Summary
The absence of ovarian sex steroids, is frequently accompanied by emotional and physiological changes in a womans body, as well as oral health changes. There are several stages in a woman’s life where changes in hormone levels make them more susceptible to oral diseases, including during menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause [1,2,3]. Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease of supporting tissues around teeth that may lead to tooth loss due to alveolar bone resorption. It occurs as a result of a dysbiotic subgingival flora in susceptible individuals [8, 9]. Increased levels of ovarian hormones, as seen in puberty, pregnancy and menstruation, can result in an increase in gingival inflammation and microbial changes in dental plaque [1,2,3, 10], contrariwise, during menopause, a lack of hormones can lead to poor periodontal health. There is no consensus for an increased risk of periodontitis after menopause [12,13,14]
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