Estrogen receptor, or ER, genotypes may be connected to tooth loss in elderly women, reported Japanese researchers in the Nov. 14 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association.
Researchers studied the effect of ER genotype on tooth loss and alveolar height in 132 Japanese women who visited a clinic from 1996 to 2001. Sixteen subjects had received estrogen replacement therapy for six months or less; one had received the therapy for four years. None of the patients was taking other medications that affected bone metabolism, and none had a history of tobacco use.
Researchers analyzed the subjects’ estrogen receptor genes in blood samples. They found that one gene variant was linked to having fewer teeth. A second gene variant was associated with great alveolar bone loss. They concluded that these genes might not influence alveolar bone loss but rather alveolar bone fragility. The findings did not change after researchers made adjustments for age, years since menopause and estrogen replacement therapy.
The results, according to researchers, indicate that the type of estrogen receptor gene a woman carries could signal her risk of experiencing tooth loss.
