Oral Health Topics
Women's Oral Health / Oral Health Care Series
Overview
Women have special needs at different stages of life. Puberty, menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause can all influence your oral health and the need for dental treatment. During these times, your body experiences hormonal changes. By understanding these changes, you can practice good oral health habits that can keep your teeth and gums healthy.
Additional Resources
Overview
The Oral Health Care Series provides information on oral health care for medically complex patients. Considerations regarding incidence and prevalence, oral manifestations and dental management are provided. Coordination of care between the dentist and physician is encouraged.
Dentists should always exercise their own professional judgment in any given situation, with any given patient. This publication does not set any standards of care. Scientific advances, unique clinical circumstances, and individual patient preferences must be factored into clinical decisions. This requires the dentist’s careful judgment. Balancing individual patient needs with scientific soundness is a necessary step in providing oral health care.
Women’s Oral Health Issues
The first in the series of updated volumes is Women’s Oral Health Issues. Women have special oral health needs and considerations. Hormonal fluctuations have a surprisingly strong influence on the oral cavity. Puberty, menses, pregnancy, menopause and the use of contraceptive medications all influence women’s oral health and the way in which a dentist should approach treatment. This document discusses hormonal effects on the oral cavity during various stages in women’s lives, as well as the special dental needs and considerations that will be encountered. Problems such as osteoporosis, Sjögren’s disease, temporomandibular disorders, eating disorders and thyroid disease, prevalent in the female population, are also addressed.
The Oral Health Care Series is being revised, after which it will be available for purchase. Please continue to revisit this page for updates. Questions regarding the series can be directed to Nicole Stoufflet at 312-440-2858 or Lynne Mangan at 312-440-2588.
