Focus on primary care - Periodontal disease: Implications for women's health

A definite relationship is emerging between periodontal infections and syst emic conditions. The objective of this review is to address this relationsh ip as it pertains to cardiovascular disease and diabetes mellitus. Furtherm ore, because recent reports link the presence of periodontal disease to pre term delivery, the possible relationship between the development and progre ssion of periodontal disease and certain hormonal states in women such as p uberty, oral contraceptive use, menopause, and pregnancy will also be discu ssed. Although the current literature suggests a strong association between periodontal disease and a number of the discussed systemic conditions, cau sality can only be established with prospective studies. Intervention studi es are needed to address how treatment effects the incidence and/or severit y of periodontal disease-related systemic illness.