Women experience unique oral health challenges throughout life, from puberty and pregnancy to menopause. As research continues to highlight the connection between oral health and overall health, new opportunities are emerging to better support women’s health across every life stage.
Why this matters
- Oral health is increasingly recognized as an important part of whole-person health.
- Women face unique oral health risks during puberty, pregnancy, postpartum recovery, menopause, and post-menopause.
- Women are more likely than men to skip or delay health care, including preventive care, often because of cost and competing responsibilities.
- Untreated oral disease contributes to more than $45 billion in lost productivity annually in the United States.
- Employers, health plans, and providers each have opportunities to improve awareness, access, engagement, and care coordination.
Cigna Healthcare’s 2026 Dental Trends Report explores how hormonal changes, behavioral health factors, and barriers to care can influence women’s oral health, and what employers, health plans, and providers can do to help improve access, engagement, and coordinated care.
“Women’s oral health needs evolve throughout life, and those changes can have implications for overall health and well-being,” said Dr. Cary Sun, chief dental officer at Cigna Healthcare. “For employers, that creates an opportunity to think more broadly about how preventive care, education, and access to care can help support women across different life stages.”
How oral health affects women across every life stage
This year’s annual report highlights how women’s oral health needs evolve across major life stages, creating unique challenges and opportunities to support preventive care.
1. Puberty and young adulthood: Hormones, habits, and emotional health
Puberty introduces significant hormonal changes that can increase gum inflammation and susceptivity to gingivitis. At the same time, oral health can be influenced by changing hygiene habits, increased consumption of sugary foods and beverages, social media trends, and behavioral health challenges. Research highlighted in the report notes links between eating disorders, depression, and poorer oral health outcomes among adolescent and young adults.
The report also highlights the growing influence of social media on oral health decisions, including misinformation about dental care and cosmetic dental “hacks” that can damage teeth and gums.
Source: Journal of Clinical Medicine
2. Adulthood, pregnancy, and postpartum health
Many oral health issues that emerge during puberty can persist into adulthood. Pregnancy introduces additional oral health considerations as hormonal changes increase blood flow to the gums and raise the risk of inflammation. Research cited in the report suggests links between periodontitis and pregnancy-related complications, including gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, low birth weight, and premature birth.
Source: Illinois Department of Public Health
The need for oral health care does not end after delivery. Periodontal issues may continue during the postpartum period, and poor maternal oral health may increase the likelihood of transmitting cavity-causing bacteria to children. These findings reinforce the importance of maintaining oral health before, during, and after pregnancy.
Source: Illinois Department of Public Health
3. Menopause and post-menopause: New oral health considerations
As women enter menopause, declining estrogen levels can create additional oral health challenges. The report identifies dry mouth, gum sensitivity, tooth sensitivity, decreased bone density, oral thrush, and burning mouth syndrome among the conditions that may become more common during this life stage. Reduced bone density may also contribute to loosening of teeth or even tooth loss, which increases the importance of preventive care and care coordination.
Source: European Review
Together, these life-stage changes illustrate why oral health should be considered as an important component of women’s health throughout their lifespan.
Why women may delay care
Although women are generally more attentive to oral care than men, research cited in the report suggests that they are also more likely to skip or delay health care services, including preventive care. Cost, limited time, caregiving, and other competing responsibilities can all make it more difficult to schedule and attend dental visits.
"Women often balance their own health needs alongside work, caregiving responsibilities, and family obligations. Making preventive care easier to access and easier to fit into busy schedules can play an important role in helping people address concerns before they become more serious."Dr. Cary Sun, chief dental officer, Cigna Healthcare U.S.
For employers, improving access to care may be as important as providing coverage. Making benefits easier to use and easier to understand can help employees take advantage of preventive dental care before minor concerns become more serious health issues.
That can include communicating the value of preventive dental visits, highlighting available benefits and resources, and promoting convenient care options such as teledentistry, mobile dental services, digital reminders, and tools that help patients find in-network providers.
Employers can also help encourage preventive dental care by raising awareness about the connection between oral health and overall health. Educational efforts can go beyond reminders about routine cleanings to help women better understand how oral health intersects with pregnancy, menopause, behavioral health, chronic conditions, and other aspects of health and well-being.
How employers can help support women’s oral health
“Oral health doesn’t exist in a vacuum,” Dr. Sun said. “There are many opportunities for dental, medical, and behavioral health professionals to work together to help people achieve better health.”
The report closes with practical recommendations for employers, carriers, and providers to help women maintain oral health throughout their life. These strategies focus on improving awareness, access, engagement, and care coordination.
For employers
- Promote preventive dental care as part of women’s health initiatives.
- Increase awareness of available dental benefits, discounts, and resources.
- Encourage use of teledentistry services and mobile dental services where available.
- Share tools that help employees find and schedule care with in-network providers.
- Use reminders, digital engagement programs, and educational resources to encourage preventive care.
- Support benefits strategies that connect dental, medical, and behavioral health services.
For providers and health plans
The report also highlights opportunities for medical, behavioral health, and dental professionals to work together. Coordinated care, patient education, referrals, digital engagement tools, and emerging AI-enabled support services may help women access care and navigate oral health needs throughout their life.
Conclusion
As employers continue to expand investments in women’s health, oral health represents an often-overlooked opportunity to support health access across the lifespan. From adolescence and pregnancy to menopause and post-menopause, women’s oral health needs evolve over time.
“By helping improve awareness, access to care, and coordination across dental, medical, and behavioral health, employers can play an important role in supporting healthier outcomes for women and their covered family members,” Dr. Sun said.
Commonly asked questions
Research cited in the report suggests that oral health may be linked to a range of women’s health concerns, including pregnancy outcomes, chronic conditions, and behavioral health. Hormonal changes throughout life also can affect oral health, from puberty and pregnancy to menopause.
Understanding the connection between oral health and overall health can help employers make oral health part of broader women’s health and workforce well-being strategies. Employers can also support preventive care, improving access to care, and helping women better understand oral health risks throughout different life stages.
Women may postpone preventive care because of cost concerns, time constraints, caregiving responsibilities, and competing priorities at work and at home. Making dental care easier to find, schedule, and understand – while increasing awareness of oral health and available benefits – may help reduce these barriers.
Employers can promote preventive dental visits, raise awareness of available benefits, highlight convenient care options such as teledentistry, share education about oral health across different life stages, and support a more connected approach to dental, medical, and behavioral health care.
Dental trends 2026 (PDF)
New insights on the connection between oral health and women’s health, from puberty through menopause.
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This information is for educational purposes only. It is not medical advice. Always consult your doctor for appropriate examinations, treatment, testing, and care recommendations.