Serum 17β-estradiol and oral dryness feeling in menopause

Abstract

The aim of this study was to compare serum 17β-estradiol of menopausal women with/without Oral Dryness (OD) feeling, and evaluate the relationship between serum 17β-estradiol and severity of OD feeling. A case-control study was carried out on 70 selected menopausal women aged 40 -77 years with or without OD feeling (35 as case, 35 as control) conducted at the Clinic of Oral Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Xerostomia inventory (XI) score was used as an index of OD feeling severity. The serum 17β-estradiol concentration was measured by an enzyme immunoassay kit (ELISA). Statistical analysis of Student's t-test and Spearman correlation coefficient was used. The mean serum concentration of 17β-estradiol was significantly lower in case than control. There was a significant negative correlation between XI score and concentration of 17β-estradiol in menopausal women (r = -0.311, P = 0.004). It seems that there is a negatively slight correlation between OD feeling severity and serum 17β-estradiol in menopausal women.

Xerostomia – A Comprehensive Review with a Focus on Mid-Life Health

“…[ 18 ] Negative correlations have been observed to exist between the levels of both salivary and serum levels of 17β-estradiol with symptoms of oral dryness in menopausal women. [ 19 ]…”