Postmenopausal women with high scores on the Fracture Assessment Risk Tool (FRAX) may also be at a higher risk for periodontitis, according to a new study in the journal Menopause (January 2015, Vol. 22:1).
The tool evaluates factors that are often also markers for periodontal disease, including smoking habits and diabetes. Because of this, researchers at Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine and the Case/Cleveland Clinic Postmenopausal Health Collaboration (CCCPOHC) teamed up to see if women at risk for bone fractures might also be at risk for periodontitis.
Combing through CCCPOHC's database of 853 women, the researchers found that women with high bone loss scores also showed the strongest signs of gum disease.
"More investigations are needed, but the FRAX tool score can potentially be used as a way to find women at risk for gum disease," stated Leena Palomo, DDS, MSD, director of the DMD Periodontics program at the Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine, in a press release.
