Oral Dryness in Post Menoapusal Women: Hormonal Impact

Menopause is the physiological process of cessation of normal menstruation occurring in the fifth decade of life in women. This leads to certain hormonal variations which results in few clinical systemic manifestations along with oral symptoms. The main oral symptoms include oral dryness, mucosal lesions such as lichen planus, benign pemphigoid, Sjogren syndrome and burning mouth syndrome with increased incidence of periodontal disease. The clinical examination of postmenopausal problems on dental examination reveals decreased salivation, dental caries, reduce taste sensation, atrophic gingivitis, periodontitis and rarely include osteoporosis of jaw. Oral physicians who treat postmenopausal women needs to understand the stressful phase of life their patients are experiencing. Oral physician should keep the arena open for consultation with gynecologist and general physicians for evaluating the use of HRT for the benefit of the patient.