Though it is not common knowledge, it is actually a fact that there are several different ways to take hormonal birth control. The most common form of hormonal birth control is the pill, but there is actually another form of birth control that has gained popularity in recent years that is injectable. The injectable birth control is called depotmedroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA), and is injected into the bloodstream to deliver the same hormonal effects as the birth control pill. But unfortunately recent research is now suggesting that this form of birth control may actually be harmful to a woman's oral health.
A recent study published in the Journal of Periodontology has shown the negative oral health effects of taking injectable progesterone contraceptives. The study claims that women who do take or have taken this form of birth control in the past are more susceptible to poor oral health and oral health conditions like periodontitis and gingivitis. These diseases can be detrimental to a person's oral health as well as their overall health because of the effects that the health of the gums has on the rest of the body.
The women chosen for the study were aged between fifteen and forty four, and all were premenopausal and not pregnant. The women had also provided all the data necessary to study the effects of the DMPA. The study compared women who have taken or are currently taking DMPA with women who had never taken the injectable contraceptives. All of the participants then received a dental examination in which they were tested for mild tooth loss, periodontitis which was tested at at least two or three places on each tooth, and they were also tested for gingival bleeding.