Relationship between Early Menopause and Periodontal Disease in Korean Postmenopausal Women

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between early menopause and periodontal disease in postmenopausal women using data from the 6th Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2013 ∼ 2015). A study was conducted with 2,048 postmenopausal women aged 45 to 74 years. Participants were divided into the early menopause group (menopause occurring at age 45 years or before) and normal menopause group (menopause occurring after age 45 years). A community periodontal index greater than or equal to code 3 was used to define periodontal treatment needs. A chi-square test was used to confirm the bivariate relationship between the variables. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was used to adjust for covariates (age, education, family income, body mass index, alcohol drinking, smoking, visiting dentist in the last year, use of oral care products, frequency of tooth brushing per day). The risk of periodontal disease was higher in the early menopause group after adjusting for potential confounders (odds ratio, 1.59). In particular, the relationship between early menopause and periodontal disease was more evident in women with low education and those who did not use oral care products. The findings of this study suggest that early menopause is a significant factor of periodontal disease in Korean women.