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Periodontal Disease in Women and Men

  • Epidemiology (M Laine, Section Editor)
  • Published:
Current Oral Health Reports Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose of Review

This manuscript will present a narrative review of the distribution of periodontitis in women and men based on recent epidemiological studies.

Recent Findings

Large, global, population-based surveys provide continued evidence that a sexual dimorphism in prevalence of periodontitis exists between women and men. Based on included studies, the prevalence of severe periodontitis is greater in men compared to women by between 4.6 to 12.7%. Environmental or behavioral factors that exhibit a sex differential between women and men do not adequately account for the aforementioned observation. A sex dimorphism in host immune response remains a plausible explanation and requires further investigation.

Summary

There is a sexual dimorphism in susceptibility to periodontitis, reflecting a higher prevalence of destructive periodontal disease in men than women.

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Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: • Of importance

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Periodontics/#4213, University of Maryland School of Dentistry, 650 W. Baltimore Street, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Harlan J. Shiau

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  1. Harlan J. Shiau
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Correspondence to Harlan J. Shiau.

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Dr. Shiau has no conflicts of interest to declare.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Epidemiology

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Shiau, H.J. Periodontal Disease in Women and Men. Curr Oral Health Rep 5, 250–254 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40496-018-0195-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40496-018-0195-x

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