Women and Oral Health - A Brief Review

Health is wealth goes an old adage. Keeping this in mind preservation of physical, mental and emotional health of an individual is an important goal of all health sciences since their very conception. The oral cavity is said to be a mirror to the body, as various systemic diseases show early clinical manifestations within it. Off late, increased importance is being paid to the impact of oral health on the general well-being of the individual. Various studies have indicated an underlying relationship between presence of oral infections and occurrence of diseases such as diabetes & asthma. Women, in particular are more susceptible to the development of complications secondary to the presence of oral diseases, such as intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) and gestational diabetes. For example, presence of chronic periodontitis is recognized as a risk factor for development of pre-eclampsia. The transmission of diseases from mother to the child is another area of concern. This review article therefore attempts to present a holistic view of relation between womens‘ oral and systemic health.