Women's Hormones Could Affect Their Oral Health

Reprinted from the American Academy of Periodontology website.

Women: Your health care needs are unique, and re- quire special care. Taking care of your health also includes oral health because it's an important part of your overall health. Periodontal researchers are making strides to find out how periodontal diseases may affect women's overall health. Recent issues of the Journal of Periodontology published findings that relate to women's unique oral health needs. Following is a brief overview of some of these studies:

  • Menstrual Cycle Affects Periodontal Health - Researchers found that many women noticed an increase in gingival inflammation and discomfort associated with their menstrual cycle. This is the first time this well-known phenomenon has been studied.

    Symptoms included a slight burning sensation, bleeding with minor irritation, redness to the gums, oral ulcers and discomfort in the gums. Further studies will be required to examine whether these symptoms will have lasting negative effects. In the meantime, women should tell their dental professionals about changes taking place in the mouth or body. This includes taking prescription or over-the-counter medications. This way the dental professional can explain any effects it may have on periodontal health.

  • Infertility Treatment and Oral Health - Researchers found that women undergoing ovulation induction for infertility treatment for more than three menstrual cycles experience higher gingival inflammation, bleeding and gingival crevicular fluid. (This fluid contains enzymes and tissue products that are potential markers for the progression of periodontitis.) These effects are presumably associated with increased levels of progesterone and estrogen.

    Several studies also provided evidence that the presence of infection is associated with unsuccessful embryo development and implantation failure in in vitro fertilization patients.

    Since periodontal disease is a chronic bacterial infection, future studies may determine the effects of periodontal status and periodontal treatment on the outcome of infertility treatment.

  • Pregnancy Complication is Associated with Periodontal Destruction - The January 2005 JOP reported that periodontal inflammation plays a possible role in the development of preeclampsia, a potentially deadly condition that affects approximately five percent of U.S. pregnancies. Researchers found that periodontal disease was more severe in the preeclamptic patients, which suggests an interaction between periodontal disease and pregnancy. In fact, the protein levels of cytokines in the preeclamptic group were nearly three times greater than the healthy group.