Effect of Menopause on Saliva and Dental Health

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: This research is intended to observe the influence of menopause on saliva and dental health. Salivary flow rate, pH of stimulated whole saliva, oral hygiene status, dental caries status, and periodontal status were evaluated in frequently menstruating and postmenopausal womankind. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on forty healthy postmenopausal women (case group) and forty regularly menstruating healthy women (control group), who were selected from the Outpatient Department of Dr. Syamala Reddy Dental College and Hospital, Bengaluru. None of them had any systemic disease and not under any medication. Participants were asked to chew on an elastic band of standardized size. The flow rate was measured as ml/min. Salivary pH was measured using pH strips. Oral Hygiene Index-simplified (OHI-S), Decayed Missing and Filled Teeth (DMFT index), Community Periodontal Index (CPI), and Loss of Attachment (LOA) were assessed clinically. The results were analyzed with the Chi-square test and Student's t-test (P < 0.05). RESULTS: Salivary pH and flow rate in the case cluster were considerably lesser when related to the control group (P < 0.001). OHI-S, DMFT, CPI, and LOA were found to be greater in postmenopausal women when related to the control group (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Here exists a noticeable diminution in the salivary pH and flow rate in postmenopausal womanhood which in turn leads to increased OHI-S, DMFT, CPI, and LOA. The study has presented that the significance of preventive dentistry upsurges with aging in females.