Gum Disease and Women’s Health: What’s the Connection?

One of the fascinating things about being a woman is the menstrual cycle. While hot flashes, mood swings, and other symptoms of PMS are already closely link to hormonal fluctuations that exclusively happen in women, the results of a recent comprehensive review of women’s health studies has found a solid link proving that gum disease may be joining the ranks of mood swings and hot flashes anytime soon.

Although gum disease has been linked to hormonal shifts for a long time, the aforementioned study was quite exhaustive in nature as it studied 61 journal articles which contained roughly a hundred studies. The studies examined the links between gum disease and health conditions specific in women such as bone loss, preterm labor, and side effects of hormonal replacement therapy.

Here at our College Park dental practice, we regularly remind our women clients to take extra care of their oral health, particularly during these periods:

• Puberty – The sudden increase in sex hormones such as estrogen and progesterone may lead to gum inflammation which in turn can lead to significant plaque formation. Presence of plaque leads to gum disease.
• Menstruation - Some women experience gingivitis during menstruation. Typically, gum inflammation clears up after one’s period has started.
• Pregnancy Gingivitis- Women who experience periodontal disease while they’re pregnant increases their risk of experiencing premature birth or giving birth to low birthweight babies.
• Menopausal Gingivostomatitis – Dry mouth, burning sensation in the mouth, and changes in the oral mucosa has been associated with hormonal fluctuations during and after menopause.

If you’re a woman and is deeply concerned with your oral health, let us help you out! Contact our office at (301) 238-7083 or fill out this contact form to schedule a personal consultation! At our practice, we make it a point to go at great lengths to match our services to your expectations!