Up
To Top
Your dentist thus
have an opportunity to refer women who are not under the care of a
gynecologist for an evaluation to determine the appropriateness of HRT
for its systemic and oral health benefits * because estrogen
supplements may offer:
-
gum tissue benefits
-
helps relieve the above symptoms
-
help prevent against osteoporosis
-
protect against losing your teeth.
Up
To Top
You are never to old to have a beautiful smile through
Invisalign
Menopause
Dental UPDATE:
Periodontal Disease
and the Incidence of Tooth Loss in Postmenopausal Women
The study population included 106 dentate white postmenopausal women who
participated in a cross-sectional study between 1989 and 1991 who were
willing and eligible to have a repeat examination after 10 to 13 years.
At baseline, full-mouth assessment of periodontal status was performed
clinically and radiographically. Assessment of tooth loss during follow-
up was assessed clinically by a periodontist. Odds ratio (OR) and its
95% confidence interval (CI) for each periodontal variable was obtained
from separate multiple ;ogistic regression analyses adjusting for the
effect of age, household income, smoking, hormone therapy, snack
consumption, and number of decayed teeth.
Periodontal disease, especially measured by alveolar bone loss, is a
strong and independent predictor for incident tooth loss in
postmenopausal women.Journal of
Periodontology 2005, Vol. 76, No. 7, Dr. Mine Tezal et al.J
Periodontol 2005;76:1123-1128.
Up
To Top
Effect of
Alendronate on Periodontal Disease in Postmenopausal Women:
We investigated the effect of oral alendronate (ALN) treatment on
radiological and clinical measurements of periodontaldisease in
postmenopausal women without hormone replacement therapy.
ALN treatment improved periodontal disease and bone
turnover in postmenopausal women.
J Periodontol 2004; 75:1579-1585.Journal of Periodontology 2004, Vol. 75,
No. 12, Pages 1579-1585
Up
To Top
Ladies Home Journal
states: "Japanese researchers found that an X-ray known as a panoramic
radiograph detected signs of osteoporosis up to 87% of the time in
post menopausal women. 'What affects the quality of bone in the spine
also affects the quality of bone in the rest of the body, including the
jaw.' "
Up
To Top
Oral Cancer Increasing In USA Oral
cancer is on the increase among women over 40 because the numbers who
smoke has increased. There is some evidence to suggest that tongue
cancer among males under 40 could also be increasing. Early detection is
key. According to the American Cancer Society, oral cancer occurs
almost as frequently as leukaemia and claims almost as many lives as
melanoma cancer. The stage of an oral cancer diagnosis is critical. When
detected at its earliest stage, oral cancer is more easily treated and
cured. When detected late, its five-year survival rate is about 50
percent. Testing is painless and there is no question that early
detection saves lives.
Up
To Top
HRT Toothpaste, Taste of
Things to Come?
Women
seeking to counter the effects of the menopause may soon be able to do
it simply by brushing their teeth: American scientists have
developed a toothpaste that provides hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
The toothpaste, which also works perfectly for dental hygiene, will
offer an easily remembered alternative for women suffering the hot
flushes, flagging libido and sleeplessness that often accompany the
menopause. Research at the University of Texas Medical School in Houston
has shown that controlled, long-lasting doses of the female hormone
oestrogen can be administered effectively in this way. Although further
trials are still required, the HRT toothpaste could reach the market
within five years. British
Dental Association Dec 02
Up
To Top
Osteoporosis: The periodontal
connection
Researchers may soon be able to harness
the information gathered in dental exams for use as an early warning of
osteoporosis. Risk factors for developing osteoporosis parallel
those for periodontitis: smoking, daily alcohol consumption, family
history, lifelong low calcium intake,
and advancing age. The osteoporosis/periodontitis link, one thing
that has come out of current research is the idea that a routine dental
X-ray may someday be a recognized screening tool for osteoporosis
risk.
It may be possible, say the researchers,
to harness the information gathered in dental exams for use as an early
warning of osteoporosis. Adequate calcium and estrogen levels, long
recognized as important components in the prevention of osteoporosis,
are also being studied as they relate to periodontal disease. Research
has found that people with inadequate calcium intake - fewer than 500
mg. daily - suffer from periodontal disease nearly twice as often as
those who get enough calcium. The American Dental Association states
that estrogen replacement therapy appears to reduce the risk of tooth
loss in post-menopausal women.
One surprising discovery is that
sodium fluoride, long recognized for building
strong teeth, can be a powerful weapon in the fight against
osteoporosis. All current studies seem to clearly point to one idea: Dental
health is not independent of total body health, but fully involved with
it. There are some preventive dietary measures people can take to
reduce the risk of osteoporosis - adequate calcium, Vitamin D, and
hormone replacement therapy at the time of menopause. We know they work
for osteoporosis. There is a biological link (to oral health), so these
preventive measures might also have a role in reducing periodontitis.
Cathy Hester-Seckman, RDH, is a frequent contributor to RDH magazine
based in Calcutta, Ohio. RDH, July 2002 issue.
Update:
Nutrition and
Osteoporosis PowerPoint presentation. 6/06
Up
To Top
Estrogen, Calcium & Vit D may
prevent tooth loss
— Researchers have discovered
a possible added benefit of hormone replacement therapy: saving teeth.
Postmenopausal women who took a daily dose of estrogen along with
calcium, vitamin D and regular dental check-ups improved the condition
of their jaw, which could potentially reduce the risk of tooth loss.
Women who had regular check-ups but took only calcium and vitamin D also
improved jaw mass and density, though to a significantly lesser extent
than those who received estrogen. This is the first prospective,
controlled study aimed at determining the effects of estrogen on the
jaw.
"Tooth loss is fairly prevalent in
the aging population, particularly in people over 65, about 40 percent
of whom have lost all their teeth,". "The risk is higher for
women aged 65 or older, and continues to increase the longer a women has
been postmenopausal. Estrogen already has been shown to help
reverse the effects of osteoporosis and to improve bone density in
postmenopausal women.
Women who received hormone replacement
therapy had a significantly greater increase in alveolar bone mass compared
with those who took the placebo. The effects of estrogen on jawbone
density seems to reflect an overall effect on the skeleton, since
improvements in the facial bones of women on estrogen correlated with
increases in the lumbar spine and femur. "This means that
perhaps you can prevent bone erosion in the jaw with calcium and vitamin
D, but those supplements are not sufficient to restore bone
loss," says Civitelli. "However, estrogen does appear to
restore bone throughout the body."
Up
To Top
Estrogen for women's bones may also
lessen tooth loss: Estrogen hormone helps keep teeth. A
substantial portion of the elderly gradually lose their natural teeth
and women are particularly vulnerable, with many cases thought to be
associated with bone loss in the jaw, or alveolar, bone that surrounds
the teeth. Roughly 40 percent of American women over age 65 do
not have any of their natural teeth, and many suffer from gum
disease. Just as estrogen has been shown to strengthen skeletal bones
susceptible to osteoporosis, it has a similar impact on the alveolar
bone and potentially prevents tooth loss Those who received the
hormone replacement therapy had an average 3.6 percent gain in bone
density in their femur, the leg bone joined to the hip, compared to an
0.2 percent bone density improvement in those taking the placebo. In
tests of the alveolar bone, density improved an average of 1.8 percent
among those taking estrogen, and 1 percent among those taking a placebo.
This means that perhaps you can prevent bone erosion in the jaw with
calcium and vitamin D, but those supplements are not sufficient to
restore bone loss, however, estrogen does appear to restore bone
throughout the body.
Study author Dr. Roberto Civitelli, a professor of
medicine, cell biology and physiology.
Up
To Top
Perio, Periods and progesterone
A woman's hormones may cause the gum tissues to a
target organ for estrogen and progesterone. In the presence of
plaque-induced inflammation (swollen gums) these hormones can cause gum
disease. These fluctuations
in a woman's hormones she may cause her to develop special oral
health needs that differ from those of men.
The combined oral-contraceptive pill can cause changes
to the gum tissues. The two sex hormones found in the pill cause an
increase in gum tissue exudate, and gingivitis.
Also the hormone progesterone can produce tissue breakdown causing
significant tooth loss.
Women taking hormone-replacement therapy (HRT) may
also experience a generalized gingivitis, although oestrogen
supplementation alone has anti-inflammatory effects. HRT protects
against tooth loss and reduces the risk of tooth loss and also increases
jaw bone density levels.
Smokers
with osteoporosis are more likely to loose their teeth post menopausally
than non-smokers. The burning-mouth syndrome and changes in taste
sensation that commonly coincide with the menopause cannot be attributed
directly to hormonal deficiencies.
Gender equality does not extend to the oral mucosa.
Teeth and the mouth are not a gender-free zone so we give women
an extra dose of TLC and oral hygiene instruction at certain stages
in their hormonal cycles.
Caroline Pankhurst
Up
To Top
*Physiology, Medical Management and Oral Implications of
Menopause; The Physiology, Medical Management and Oral Implications of
Menopause
Friedlander A.H., JADA 133(1):January 2002:73-81
Women and Heart
Disease.
American Heart Association on Women
and Heart Disease or Simple
Solutions
Women's Heart Organization.
FAMILY GENTLE DENTAL CARE
