Menopause and tooth loss

A study of over 1,000 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 per cent if other risk factors are present, especially diabetes and if they smoke.

The US based study found 293 post-menopausal women out of 1,021 (28.7 per cent) had suffered from 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.

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.