Preventive dentistry: current concepts in women’s oral health

Abstract

In 2000, the Surgeon General of the United States issued the first-ever report on oral health, to alert Americans on its importance to general health and well-being. Women, due to gender, display oral disease differentially. The most common oral diseases are dental caries and periodontal disease. Both of the diseases are infectious in nature, and are responsive to a variety of interventions including: community wide, professional care and self-care. Eating disorders, which are prevalent in adolescent women, have oral manifestations that need to be addressed by the dentist as well as the primary care Ob/Gyn. Oral health in women is markedly affected by hormonal fluctuations. Specific oral conditions are associated with puberty, adolescence, menses, pregnancy, and menopause. These conditions are discussed along with available effective preventive modalities that can optimize oral health.