Symptomatic changes of oral mucosa during normal hormonal turnover in healthy young menstruating women.

INTRODUCTION Changes in hormonal levels, such as those that occur during puberty, pregnancy, menstruation and menopause, have varying effects on oral cavity. Many researchers have proposed a direct link between changing hormonal status and oral health among females. OBJECTIVES To study the various symptoms and clinical manifestations of oral cavity during normal course of menstrual cycle in healthy women. METHOD Our study comprised of forty healthy young women volunteers with normal menstrual cycle of 28 to 30 days. A proper menstrual history was recorded from the study subjects. The entire cycle was divided into four phases comprising of bleeding, proliferative, ovulation and secretory. All the study subjects had a menstrual cycle of 28 to 30 days. Thorough recording of oral discomforts during various phases of the cycle was done during the study period. RESULTS 30% of study subjects complained of aphthous ulcers, 5% had herpes labialis, 25% of them complained of depression, 8% showed gingival bleeding. CONCLUSION Complaints, like oral ulcerations, mood variations, recurrent herpetic lesions, gingival bleeding in females during normal menstrual period, are attributed to the role of female sex hormones. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE Lesions, like oral ulcers, recurrent herpetic lesions and increased gingival bleeding, seen in females during normal menstrual periods, could be related to hormonal turnover and therefore treated accordingly.