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1 in 4 post-menopausal women face tooth loss
13th Jul 2011
New research forecasts that more than one in four post-menopausal women are likely to suffer tooth loss over a five-year period.
A study of 1,000-plus post-menopausal women indicates that around one in four are likely to suffer tooth loss over a five-year period, and the risk increases to nearly 90% if other risk factors are present, especially diabetes and if they smoke.
The American-based study found that 293 post-menopausal women out of 1,021 (28.7%) had suffered tooth loss over the five year study period.
Previous studies have potentially linked the menopause to tooth loss because of factors such as bone loss and oestrogen deficiency.
The impact of the menopause may go some way to explain why women more often suffer from tooth loss, despite generally having better oral health than men.
The research, published in Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology, is one of the few studies to chart the oral health of post-menopausal women over time and is likely to be informative to help target high risk groups.
Dr Nigel Carter, chief executive of the British Dental Health Foundation, said: 'Tooth loss can occur in anyone at any age, but this latest research quantifies a substantial risk to women in the post menopausal period.
'What is also clear from the research is that the cumulative effects of risk factors such as smoking, diabetes, weight and previous poor oral health all combine to create an exceptionally high risk of tooth loss, which will have a further impact on quality of life and self-image.
'For this group of people the researchers forecast the risk will more than treble to between eight and nine out of every ten women suffering tooth loss.'
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