Association Between Menopause Duration and Oral Health Manifestations: A Cross-Sectional Study

Vollständiger Abstract

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A BSTRACT Background: Menopause is associated with hormonal changes that influence multiple body systems and may affect oral health, thereby impacting overall well-being and quality of life in midlife women. Oral health manifestations during the postmenopausal period often remain under-recognized in routine healthcare. Objective: The objective of this study is to assess the association between duration since menopause and oral health manifestations in postmenopausal women. Methodology: This cross-sectional study included 75 postmenopausal women attending a dental outpatient clinic. Participants were categorized based on duration since menopause into three groups: 1–5 years, 6–10 years, and >10 years (25 participants in each group). Oral health manifestations including xerostomia, burning mouth symptoms, taste disturbances, tongue coating, and periodontal status were assessed using the standard clinical indices. Statistical analysis included Spearman correlation, Kruskal–Wallis test for continuous variables, Chi-square test for categorical variables, and age-adjusted regression analyses (ordinal logistic, binary logistic, and linear regression as appropriate). Results: An increasing trend in oral health manifestations was observed with longer duration since menopause in midlife women. Significant associations were observed in unadjusted analyses; however, none remained statistically significant after adjustment for age. Conclusion: Although oral health manifestations appear to increase with longer duration since menopause, these associations were attenuated after age adjustment and were not independent of age. In this cross-sectional study, the findings should therefore be interpreted as descriptive trends rather than causal relationships. Increased awareness of these manifestations may support improved oral healthcare in postmenopausal women.