Oral health in perimenopausal and early postmenopausal women from baseline to 2 years of follow-up with reference to hormone replacement therapy.

Female sex hormones also affect the mouth but there are little data on oral health of menopause age women. This 2-year follow-up study investigated oral health of perimenopausal and early postmenopausal women. Because hormone replacement therapy (HRT) users have been reported to be more health conscious than nonusers, we expected differences between women using and women not using HRT. Of 3,173 women, a random sample of 400 (200 using and 200 not using HRT) was examined. Of them, 161 case-control pairs of women using/not using HRT were reexamined 2 years later. Dental and periodontal status was recorded according to the WHO criteria and resting and stimulated saliva flow was measured. Panoramic tomography of the jaws was taken at baseline and at follow-up. The patients also filled in a structured questionnaire on their systemic health, medication, and health habits. The results were analyzed statistically between and within the groups. No difference was observed in any dental parameters or salivary flow rates between the groups. However, during the follow-up, women in HRT group had received more dental restorations (p<0.05) and they also reported more often recent dental appointments (p<0.05). Although no difference in oral health status or salivary flow rates between women using or not using HRT was found, the observation on dental restorations may indicate a more health conscious attitude in the HRT group.