About this Research Topic
Regular oral health care has positive impact on longevity, life quality, and better response to surgical and prosthodontic treatments. Oral health is a result of complex interactions influenced by genetic, biological, and hormonal balance and oral disease result mainly from behavioral and socioeconomic factors. Inadequate nutrition, smoking habits, and alcohol consumption are well known deleterious agents that can cause or contribute to various oral lesions.
Gender disparities show that women have different oral health issues compared to men that can undermine their general health and contribute to systemic disorders like heart disease, stroke, type II diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, mental illness, urinary infections, thyroid disorders, autoimmune disease, respiratory disease, and cancer. that very from adolescence to menopause, and senior years. In women, changes in hormone levels have been associated with gingivitis and periodontitis, and the local inflammatory response results in bacterial cell products and inflammatory mediators entering the systemic circulation. Periodontitis has also been linked to osteoporosis, and it is commonly seen in patients with oral cancer. Females usually have healthier oral hygiene behaviors compared with their male peers and are more likely to regularly visit the dentist and the physician. However, different hormonal phases like menopause increase vulnerability to osteoporosis, xerostomia, burning mouth syndrome, and temporomandibular joint disorders. Many medications taken by older women, such as those for high blood pressure, depression, and osteoporosis, can have side effects that affect oral health. Oral bacterial colonization may also change with an increasing tendency to develop more severe periodontal disease and teeth loss, and the need for extensive oral rehabilitation with dental implants and strict treatment plans.
The influence of gender on clinical outcomes of surgical and prosthetic therapy is unknown. Men tend to develop more severe periodontitis and have a higher prevalence of smoking habits, two factors that negatively affect proper osteointegration and contribute to inadequate peri-implant health. However, postmenopausal women have natural reduction in estrogen levels and undergo rapid decline in bone mass that may influence long term success and survival of dental implants and contribute to periodontal disease. Poor plaque control and clinical signs of inflammation eventually lead to peri-implant mucositis and periimplantitis. Other factors that may have impact on dental implant survival and success are systemic conditions like type II diabetes, although results are still inconclusive.
Socio-behavioral and biological factors that contribute to different sex and gender differences in the manifestation of oral disease and treatment success are poorly understood and may be inconclusive in data analysis in research studies. Besides hormonal issues in some societies females can be heavy smokers or have poor access to medical facilities implicating in poor systemic and oral health. The relationship between gender differences and oral health may help health care professionals and researchers develop gender-specific strategies to identify high risk female patients for periodontitis, oral cancer, and other oral mucosal and intraosseous manifestations of local and systemic conditions, so that stricter maintenance protocols can be applied in clinical practice.
This Research Topic is an opportunity for researchers and clinicians to share their research and expertise related to oral healthcare management for women. Contributors are invited to submit original research, clinical trials, reviews and case reports related to sex and gender influence on oral health and disease, epidemiology, oral health assessment, pathogenesis/etiology, prevention and management of oral diseases, oral health care strategies, outcome of surgical and dental implant treatments, public policies and programs for women, domestic violence and abuse, quality of life, and oral health care protocols for women.
Gender disparities show that women have different oral health issues compared to men that can undermine their general health and contribute to systemic disorders like heart disease, stroke, type II diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, mental illness, urinary infections, thyroid disorders, autoimmune disease, respiratory disease, and cancer. that very from adolescence to menopause, and senior years. In women, changes in hormone levels have been associated with gingivitis and periodontitis, and the local inflammatory response results in bacterial cell products and inflammatory mediators entering the systemic circulation. Periodontitis has also been linked to osteoporosis, and it is commonly seen in patients with oral cancer. Females usually have healthier oral hygiene behaviors compared with their male peers and are more likely to regularly visit the dentist and the physician. However, different hormonal phases like menopause increase vulnerability to osteoporosis, xerostomia, burning mouth syndrome, and temporomandibular joint disorders. Many medications taken by older women, such as those for high blood pressure, depression, and osteoporosis, can have side effects that affect oral health. Oral bacterial colonization may also change with an increasing tendency to develop more severe periodontal disease and teeth loss, and the need for extensive oral rehabilitation with dental implants and strict treatment plans.
The influence of gender on clinical outcomes of surgical and prosthetic therapy is unknown. Men tend to develop more severe periodontitis and have a higher prevalence of smoking habits, two factors that negatively affect proper osteointegration and contribute to inadequate peri-implant health. However, postmenopausal women have natural reduction in estrogen levels and undergo rapid decline in bone mass that may influence long term success and survival of dental implants and contribute to periodontal disease. Poor plaque control and clinical signs of inflammation eventually lead to peri-implant mucositis and periimplantitis. Other factors that may have impact on dental implant survival and success are systemic conditions like type II diabetes, although results are still inconclusive.
Socio-behavioral and biological factors that contribute to different sex and gender differences in the manifestation of oral disease and treatment success are poorly understood and may be inconclusive in data analysis in research studies. Besides hormonal issues in some societies females can be heavy smokers or have poor access to medical facilities implicating in poor systemic and oral health. The relationship between gender differences and oral health may help health care professionals and researchers develop gender-specific strategies to identify high risk female patients for periodontitis, oral cancer, and other oral mucosal and intraosseous manifestations of local and systemic conditions, so that stricter maintenance protocols can be applied in clinical practice.
This Research Topic is an opportunity for researchers and clinicians to share their research and expertise related to oral healthcare management for women. Contributors are invited to submit original research, clinical trials, reviews and case reports related to sex and gender influence on oral health and disease, epidemiology, oral health assessment, pathogenesis/etiology, prevention and management of oral diseases, oral health care strategies, outcome of surgical and dental implant treatments, public policies and programs for women, domestic violence and abuse, quality of life, and oral health care protocols for women.
Keywords: Women, Oral Health, Puberty, Menopause, Gender Disparities
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