The occurrence of gingival brushing lesions during 3 phases of the menstrual cycle

Since hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle may alter the vulnerability of the female gingiva, the present study was undertaken to investigate whether there are any differences in the number of toothbrushing lesions occurring during different phases of the menstrual cycle. 45 women of 20-35 years of age and with healthy gingiva were examined for overt signs of gingival laceration or ulceration. Such signs were recorded as a brushing injury. Dental plaque was assessed using the visible plaque index (VPI) and gingival inflammation using the gingival bleeding index (GBI). The examinations were made on the 1st day of menstruation (MD), on the estimated ovulation day (OD), and on the day with the predominance of progesterone secretion (PD). The examinations were made during 1-3 menstrual cycles for each individual; the study includes 78 cycles. No statistically significant differences were found between the numbers of brushing injuries on the 3 days of examination (MD, OD, & PD). During PD, a significantly positive correlation (p less than 0.01) was observed between VPI and GBI scores, but on OD and MD, the correlations were highly significant (p less than 0.001). A weak significant positive correlation (p less than 0.05) was found between GBI scores and the number of brushing injuries on the 1st day of menstruation, while during other phases of the menstrual cycle, no such correlation was found. The present study gave little evidence that the hormonal status of women could be of clinical significance in the development of soft tissue trauma from habitual toothbrushing.