Evaluation of the effect of menopause on saliva and dental health

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Original Article

Author Details : Divya Parakh, Bharat K Garla, Rushabh Dagli, Jitender Solanki, Prerna Thareja, Deepika Vyas

Volume : 2, Issue : 2, Year : 2016

Article Page : 71-76

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Abstract

Background & Objective: Menopause leads to physiological changes that take place due to decreased production of estrogen by ovary in women. The study was carried out to know the effect of menopause on saliva by evaluating the salivary flow rate and pH of stimulated saliva and to assess relation among oral diseases and the regularly menstruating women and post-menopausal women.
Method: The study was conducted on 40 healthy post-menopausal women and pre-menopausal women (controls) respectively, who attended private clinic. Data were collected through a questionnaire and oral examination. Samples of the saliva from control group were collected within the first 3 days of menstruation. A standard size paraffin wax was chewed by participants. The salivary secretion during the first one min was swallowed; and next five minute secretion was spat into graduated test tubes. Electrometrically, digital pH meter (Model me 962-P) and pH electrode was used to measure salivary pH and salivary flow rate was measured as ml/min.
Results: A notable decrease in the salivary pH and salivary flow rate, which could be credited to the high values of DMFT and OHI-S in both groups. Our study also shows significant difference in physiological changes and DMFT, OHI-S, PI and GI score in premenopausal women and postmenopausal women.
Interpretation & Conclusion: Our result reveals that there is a distinct decrease in the salivary pH and flow rate in postmenopausal women which gives route to poor oral hygiene and more susceptibility to oral physiological changes. Therefore, with aging in females, substance of preventive dentistry increases.

Keywords: Post menopause, Salivary flow rate, Salivary pH, Oral changes

How to cite : Parakh D, Garla B K, Dagli R, Solanki J, Thareja P, Vyas D, Evaluation of the effect of menopause on saliva and dental health. Int J Oral Health Dent 2016;2(2):71-76

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