General Health Information

A recent study found women infected with four bacteria that cause periodontal disease
were more likely to have more severe oral bone loss. Two widely
recognized periodontal pathogens (P. gingivalis and T. forsythensis)
were found to infect 15 percent and 38 percent of the women,
respectively. Two additional oral bacteria suspected to be pathogenic,
P. intermedia and C. rectus, were found in 43 percent and 17 percent of
women, according to the researchers. The study involved 1,256
postmenopausal women who were part of a larger population-based
investigation of risk factors for osteoporosis and oral bone loss in
postmenopausal women. This is one of the first studies in
community-dwelling postmenopausal women that assessed bacteria presence
and associated it with oral bone loss, while controlling for other
factors, such as age, smoking status and income.