Menopause and Oral Health: Bridging Knowledge Gaps in Women's Health

Menopause is a natural life transition that affects more than one million women in the United States each year. Despite growing societal focus on menopause, it remains a stigmatized topic, with many women reluctant to talk about their experiences. This is especially true when it comes to the oral health impacts of menopause, which are often overlooked or ignored, with many women unaware of the full extent of their symptoms and what treatment options may be available to them.

We wanted to dive deeper into this topic to explore how widespread this lack of awareness is among menopausal women and their understanding of how it impacts their oral health. Our latest survey, Delta Dental’s 2023 Senior Oral Health and Menopause Report: Breaking the Stigma, explores this disconnect in a new way and examines how it affects menopausal care for women.

The Data Revealed Significant Knowledge Gaps

What we found was an astonishing gap in awareness of menopause’s impact on oral health. Of the over 1,000 women aged 50 and older who were surveyed, 84% were not aware of how hormonal changes during menopause can impact their mouths and oral health.

This is particularly striking considering 70% of women 50 and older indicated that they have experienced at least one oral health symptom since the onset of menopausal symptoms, such as dry mouth, receding gumlines, tooth sensitivity or pain, tooth decay, bleeding gums, altered taste, reduced saliva production and burning tongue. Despite experiencing these common symptoms, most women didn’t associate them with hormonal shifts related to menopause.

Dentists and Dental Hygienists are a Prime, Untapped Resource

The survey also highlighted that there is a significant patient education opportunity for dentists and dental hygienists to present themselves as a resource for women navigating menopause.

Though most women indicated they have experienced oral health discomfort or pain as a result of menopausal symptoms, they are unaware of how dental providers can help them address symptoms and recommend treatments. In fact, only 2% have discussed their concerns with their dentist and only 1% with their dental hygienist. The survey also found that only 1 in 4 women 50 and older look to their primary care physician for information on menopause-related oral health concerns – the same percentage that look to Google. This struck me and my team, and this gap is where we need to step up and educate on this topic so that women are taking the preventive care measures necessary to stay healthy during this new phase of life.

Though these knowledge gaps exist, women indicated that they are eager to learn more from their providers about their symptoms. More than 84% said there should be more resources that provide information about the link between menopause and overall health, while nearly 39% shared that healthcare providers can do more to encourage women to ask questions about menopause.

A dental cleaning visit often serves as an entry point into the healthcare system for many as we tend to see our dentists more regularly than other primary care physicians. Meaning, your dentist is often the first person to understand the numerous changes that are experienced throughout the body during menopause.

Dentists, dental hygienists, and female patients should be asking questions about symptoms like cracked or dry tongue, lips sticking to teeth, or even weight gain and hair loss. Asking for and sharing a full picture of recent symptoms can help with recommending treatment options to head off physical discomfort, tooth decay and other issues that can compound during this time. I know first-hand that this can be easier said than done, but it’s important that we are all part of the solution.

Breaking the Stigma Together: Empowering Women to Prioritize Oral Health Care

As a menopausal woman in the healthcare industry, I feel hopeful about the data that shows how we need to and can break the stigma around menopause and its impacts on oral health. Nearly 8 in 10 of the women we surveyed said that after learning about how menopause impacts oral health, they’ll prioritize scheduling their next dental exam and cleaning. A majority will spend more time on their oral health care routine as an outcome of what they learned.

This year there has been a lot of media attention on breaking down the stigma around menopause so that women feel more comfortable speaking about it. We want to help support this important conversation from an oral health perspective as it impacts your overall physical health and quality of life.

To my fellow menopausal women, this is our time. It’s not just you. I’m encouraged that we’re having this conversation, and I would encourage more people to be open about their experiences so they can get the integrated care they need. The more we talk about menopause, the more we can all learn about potentially overlooked treatments.

To learn more about healthy aging, visit the Delta Dental Healthy Aging Wellness Library.