Dental outcomes Economic analysis Comment Reasons for giving hormone replacement therapy to postmenopausal women are fairly well known. Around the menopause it is to do with control of symptoms, especially flushing. Later it is to more to do with protecting bone density to prevent osteoporosis and later fractures. One of the unintended consequences is the protection of teeth. The arguments that protection of teeth is a real phenomenon are several, if predominantly indirect.
Osteoporosis affects jaw bones as much as long bones and the spine.
Loss of mineral from the area surrounding the teeth leads to tooth loss. Women with low bone mineral density in spine and hip bones have fewer teeth than those with higher bone density. Eligible studies were full published papers of any study design of a minimum of three months looking at postmenopausal women and with a minimum of 10 patients per study arm. Only English language papers were used. Subjects eligible were postmenopausal women receiving HRT or not and those with documented osteoporosis.