Hormonal Fluctuations and Periodontal Status in Postmenopausal Women

INTRODUCTION: While the short-term effects of hormonal events on gingival inflammation have been well described, their long-term effects on the periodontium have received less attention. Our investigation was aimed at evaluating the correlation between hormonal fluctuations and periodontal status in postmenopausal women from the profile of the Rafsanjan Cohort Study. Material and Methods. We used the data obtained from the profile of the Rafsanjan Cohort Study (RCS) as a part of the prospective epidemiological research studies in Iran (PERSIAN). The RCS includes 10,000 participants aged 35–70 years old. Among this population, the periodontal status data of 4143 women were available. Of these 4,143, the postmenopausal women were included in the study, and those who had a history of gingival treatment during the past 6 months were excluded from the study. Finally, 928 postmenopausal women were included in the present study. Periodontal status was assessed by measuring the clinical attachment loss, pocket depth, and bleeding on probing (BOP). Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were applied using three different models. RESULTS: The results showed that 53.2% of postmenopausal women had periodontitis. There were significant differences between the participants with and without periodontitis in brushing frequency and educational status (P < 0.05). After adjusting for all potential confounders, no correlation was found between hormonal fluctuations and periodontal status. CONCLUSION: There was no correlation between hormonal fluctuations and periodontal status.