Postmenopausal women carry a disproportionate and growing burden of oral disorders, including gum disease and tooth loss, with cases projected to nearly double from 486 million in 2021 to 932 million by 2050. Strengthening prevention strategies, tooth loss management, and cancer detection could help reduce this expanding public health challenge as populations age globally.
- Projected surge: Cases are expected to climb to 931.69 million by 2050, nearly doubling in three decades.
- Main disorders: Periodontal disease and tooth loss are the most common oral conditions affecting postmenopausal women.
- Tooth loss impact: Despite declining age-standardized rates, tooth loss is the leading contributor to disability-adjusted life years from oral disorders.
- Population growth: Postmenopausal women will represent a larger share of the aging population, reaching 2.1 billion people aged 60+ by 2050.
Postmenopausal women may carry the greatest, growing burden of oral disorders and lip and oral cavity cancer, and it’s projected to worsen through 2050. The study was published on September 19 in the International Dental Journal.
Furthermore, the most common disorders they face are periodontal disease and tooth loss, the authors wrote.
“Strengthening periodontal prevention, tooth-loss management, oral rehabilitation, and risk-based LOCC (lip and oral cavity cancer) detection may help reduce future oral disease burden among PMW (postmenopausal women) and inform public health planning for healthy aging,” wrote the authors, led by Kai Yang of The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University in China.
The global population is aging at an accelerating pace, with the number of those age 60 and older expected to reach 2.1 billion by 2050. Postmenopausal women make up a significant proportion of this population, accounting for approximately 26% of all women and girls worldwide in 2021. A decade earlier, they accounted for 22%, according to the study.
Oral health among older women remains a critical clinical and public health problem due to the risks associated with aging, as well as menopause-linked vulnerability.
To investigate the global burden, trends, and future projections of oral disorders and lip and oral cavity cancer among postmenopausal women, Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021 data were used to measure the prevalence and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) of oral disorders and cancers among this cohort from 1990 to 2021. A Bayesian age-period-cohort model was used to make future projections. Women ages 55 to 95 were defined as postmenopausal.
From 1990 to 2021, the number of oral disorder cases rose from 229 million to 486 million among postmenopausal women, the authors wrote.
Furthermore, gum disease accounted for a large proportion of oral disorder cases and, over time, showed limited improvement. Though tooth loss fell in age-standardized terms, it was the leading contributor to DALYs from oral disorders.
Conversely, lip and oral cavity cancers appeared to show a persistent rise in absolute burden and age-standardized rates. The researchers wrote that this escalation suggests an increasing malignant disease burden among this group of women, they wrote.
The coming years
From 2021 to 2050, the absolute burden of oral disorders and oral cancers among postmenopausal women is predicted to rise substantially.
The total number of prevalent oral disorder cases was forecasted to climb from roughly 486 million in 2021 to approximately 932 million in 2050.
Of the oral disease types, tooth loss showed the greatest projected increase, from approximately 166 million to 500 million cases. This was followed by gum disease, which was projected to rise from 208 million to 440 million cases, the authors wrote.
Nonetheless, the study had several limitations. The ecological design of the study prevents finding a causal relationship in terms of menopause, aging, behavioral factors, and healthcare access, the researchers wrote.
“PMW bear a disproportionate and increasing absolute burden of oral disorders and LOCC, and this burden is projected to grow further by 2050 with population aging,” Yang and team wrote.
