Oral Contraceptives

A. Synthetic Hormones

1. Oral contraception is one of the most widely used class of drugs in the world.

2. Clinical studies conducted in the 1960s and 1970s, showed that women who use oral contraceptives, had a higher incidence of gum disease than women who do not use these drugs. All studies to 1980-ies record changes in the gingival tissue using oral contraceptives have been completed when the hormone levels were at a much higher level than is available currently.

3. A recent clinical study evaluating the impact of low doses of oral contraceptives found no effect of oral contraceptives on the gum inflammation in young women [30].

4. Cross-sectional data from the third national health and nutrition (NHANES III) failed to show a link between low-dose combined oral contraceptives and increasing the level of gingivitis [31].

5. From these data, it appears that the current low-dose combined oral contraceptives, probably, is not so dangerous for the periodontal as early formulations.

B. oral contraceptives and aggressive periodontitis. A recent study looked at oral contraceptives, to see if new smaller doses tablets influence of aggressive periodontitis [32]. Researchers estimated 50 women aged from 20 to 35 years who were diagnosed with aggressive periodontitis.

1. From 50 women, only 8 had never taken the pill.

2. Those taking oral contraceptives had deeper pockets and more of attachment loss than women not taking the pill. 3. The average investment loss was 1 mm larger than those taking oral contraceptives compared to those not taking the pill.

4. The researchers concluded that women at risk of generalized aggressive periodontitis should be borne in mind that the use of oral contraceptives may cause a later stage of the disease.

C. Education Of The Patient. For patients taking oral contraceptives, dental hygienist should emphasize the importance of careful plaque biofilm control and its role in the prevention of plaque-induced inflammation of the gums. ..