Tooth count in elderly women in relation to their skeletal status

Women are periodontally healthier than men, but why don't they have more teeth than men?

“…22 The effect of estrogen supplementation shown in our study supports the assumption that alveolar bone loss may be related to osteoporosis. This is in accordance with other reports, 23,24 and HT seems to be beneficial for tooth retention. Characteristics of the female population in this study are the high prevalence of ever using both oral contraceptives and menopausal hormone substitution therapy.…”

Relationship between periodontal disease and osteoporosis

“…A study that compared bone mineral density using DEXA of the lumbar spine and hip against the dentate status of 67 postmenopausal women failed to find any significant relationship although a trend for positive correlations were noted in regards to hip bone mineral density and tooth count, which was confounded by age 38 . Similarly, a non‐significant positive trend for higher tooth count was reported in women with a T‐score higher than −2.5 in this study.…”

“…While the prevalence of osteopenia and osteoporosis is expected to be higher in this population, so too is the prevalence of periodontitis experience. In contrast, inclusion of subjects of this age may inadvertently introduce a selection bias as the subjects may show evidence of ‘periodontitis resistance’, a phenomenon reported by investigators to explain inclusion of subjects at a ‘lower risk’ of periodontitis than similarly aged counterparts 38,73 …”

Tooth Agenesis: from Molecular Genetics to Molecular Dentistry

“…Lack of permanent teeth, for example, may be a consequence of trauma, chemotherapy, or radiotherapy if this occurs at an age when teeth develop (Kaste et al, 1997;Marec-Berard et al, 2005). Tooth loss is also related to poor skeletal status, such as observed in post-menopausal women (Drozdzowska et al, 2006). Hypodontia does not represent a lifethreatening condition; however, it is connected with masticatory, speech, and esthetic problems.…”