The effect of oral contraceptives on gingivitis in female patients who attended the dental clinic of Dr. René Puig Bentz at the National Pedro Henríquez Ureña University.

This observational study, conducted at the Dr. René Puig Bentz dental clinic at the Pedro
Henríquez Ureña National University, aimed to evaluate whether oral contraceptive use is a
modifying factor in gingivitis. The hypothesis is that oral contraceptives may influence clinical
manifestations of gingivitis, such as redness, bleeding, and inflammation.
Data were collected through a clinical periodontal evaluation. Variables such as gingival
redness, bleeding on probing, the inflammation index, and the plaque index were recorded.
These findings were then compared between patients who used oral contraceptives and those
who did not. Additionally, the hormonal composition of the contraceptives used was
documented, including the type and concentration of estrogens and progestogens, as well as
the duration of use.
The results revealed significant differences in gingival redness, which occurred more
frequently in the group of oral contraceptive users. This finding suggests a potential impact of
sex hormones on gingival tissues. However, no statistically significant differences were found
in bleeding on probing, inflammation index, or plaque index between groups, indicating that
these variables are more closely related to the presence of bacterial plaque and hygiene habits
than to contraceptive use.
Regarding hormonal composition, a variety of formulations were identified, with
contraceptives containing different concentrations of ethinyl estradiol and drospirenone
predominating. However, none of the gingivitis cases occurred in oral contraceptive users; the
two cases identified corresponded exclusively to the non-user group. Similarly, no association
was found between hormone concentration, type of progestogen, or duration of oral
contraceptive use and the presence of gingivitis.
Taken together, these data suggest that although oral contraceptive use is associated with
increased gingival redness, there is no direct relationship with the onset of gingivitis in this
study sample. This dataset provides clinical and hormonal information that can be used to
analyze the influence of oral contraceptives on gingival tissue and for future comparisons in
similar studies.