The Relationship between Hormone Replacement Therapy and Periodontal Disease in Postmenopausal Women

Ahn, Eunsuk; Lee, Yunhee

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and periodontal disease in postmenopausal women using data from the 4th and 5th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. A total of 5,482 postmenopausal women aged 45~75 years were included as study subjects in the final analysis. The HRT group comprised 1,035 postmenopausal women who had received HRT for at least one month, and the non-HRT group comprised 4,447 postmenopausal women who did not receive HRT. The chi-square test was used to confirm the bivariate relationship between the variables. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was used to adjust for covariance (age, education, family income, body mass index, age of menopause, alcohol, smoking, dental visit < 1 per year, use of oral care products, and frequency of tooth brushing per day). After adjusting for all covariates, HRT was found to be associated with periodontal disease. In particular, the relationship between HRT and periodontal disease was more evident in older women and women younger than 45 years of menopausal age. The relationship between HRT and periodontal disease was stronger in women who brushed their teeth less than 3 times per day, women without regular oral examination, and women who did not use oral hygiene products. The results of this study confirmed the importance of actively considering hormone therapy when determining policy recommendations for postmenopausal women. Especially, health programs such as HRT, regular dental examination, and oral care are needed for older women who have undergone premature menopause.