Alterazioni del cavo orale e strategie preventodontiche in menopausa

Objectives

The aim of this work is to evaluate the effects of menopause on oral health, the most frequent problems and prevention strategies feasible in this particular category of patients.

Materials and methods

A survey was conducted in the electronic database of Medline, using specific inclusion and exclusion criteria, and the following keywords “oral health and menopause”. Some interesting texts for this research were selected among the found articles. Some articles published in not indexed journals were added and some considerations were drawn from related texts.

Results and conclusions

The menopause is a time of great hormonal changes and periodontal tissue is particularly sensitive to it. Some clinical features showed up most frequently in this group of patients: desquamative gingivitis, stomatopirosis, xerostomy, gingivitis and periodontal diseases in general. A strict prevention of all forms of periodontal disease should be implemented to minimize the risk of teeth loss or the onset of infectious and inflammatory issues against gums and oral mucosa.