Hormonal health in the Dental Profession

Dental professionals, dentists, therapists, hygienists, and nurses, play a crucial role in oral health care. However, the demands of the profession can lead to unique challenges that may affect their hormonal health. Understanding the relationship between work-related stress, lifestyle factors, and hormonal health is essential for promoting overall wellbeing in our vital workforce.

Hormonal health is often associated with women’s health, however the points discussed in this article is relevant to anyone, despite age, gender or life stage.

Hormones are chemical messengers which make up the endocrine system. This system controls growth, mood, development, metabolism, communication with organs and reproduction. This system regulates how much of each hormone is needed via a constant negative feedback loop to ensure a state of balance, known as homeostasis.

However, this system can become dysregulated and lead to disharmony of the hormonal system, which in turn can lead to detrimental effects to the host, such as burnout, increased risk of diseases such as diabetes, mood disorders, fertility issues…to name but a few. 

(Hiller-Sturmhofel et al 1998)

• Chronic stress leading to the constant release of cortisol, the stress hormone; and blood sugar fluctuations causing frequent big spikes in the hormone insulin

The constant release of these hormones can lead to insensitivity as the body gets used to them and they no longer perform their action well, good examples of this are insulin insensitivity and type II diabetes (National institute of diabetes and digestive and kidney diseases) and cortisol insensitivity and burn out.

Insulin and cortisol work synergistically to keep glucose levels balanced, if they aren’t working well due to dietary choices and chronic stress it can soon lead to problems. (Diabetes UK)

In this scenario, the negative feedback loop mentioned earlier will start to impact other hormones, such as the sex hormones; oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone, and as a result further ill health/symptoms experienced. (Tsigos et al 2020)

 

• Endocrine disruptors (EDC) from chemicals, food and plastics that mimic or block hormones from their receptors (National institute of environmental sciences)

Dr Shanna Swan, an environmental and reproductive epidemiologist, published a research paper in 2017 that looked at sperm count from 1973 to 2011.  It concluded that during this time period ‘sperm count has dropped by 59%’ and this is due to the endocrine disrupting chemicals that surround us. Dr Swan has predicted that by 2045 ‘most couples may have to use assisted reproduction’ due to these chemicals.

 

Pesticide action network UK (PAN UK) stated in April 2024 that these chemicals are called ‘forever chemicals’.  They are described as this because ‘of their ability to persist in the environment and accumulate in the blood, bones and tissue of living organisms’ and it takes them ‘from a decade to 1000 years to degrade’.

They are very prevalent and ‘found in household products, non-stick cookware and plastics but also in certain pesticides which then make it into human bodies via diet’.

Despite loving your job and caring for your patients, working as a dental professional can be stressful; stressful to the body and to the mind too. Meeting people’s expectations on a daily basis, working to a time limit, long hours, irregular breaks, admin to keep on top of and leaning over people all day can be draining.  This can lead to chronic stress and impact lifestyle factors, which can be impacted by high stress and busy working days, such as dietary choices, poor sleep and/or lack of exercise.

 

Then there are the chemicals that we come into contact with each day, either through dental materials or disinfection, some of which may be classed as endocrine disrupting chemicals.

Nutrition

• Aim to eat 30 – 40 fruits and vegetables a week, with a focus on more vegetables. This will ensure a range of vitamins and minerals are consumed, fiber for gut health and feeding the good bacteria, antioxidants to help manage oxidative stress from EDCs, and also energy from the carbohydrates.
• Pair protein, fat and fiber with all carbohydrates to slow down digestion and keep blood sugars balanced. This will help to prevent cravings and ensure more energy too. Do this for any meal or snack where possible.
• Consider your protein intake, hormones are made from protein so it is important to consume the right amount for your body. 0.8g per kilo of body weight for a sedentary lifestyle and increase this to 1.2 -1.4g per kilo of body weight if more active or healing.
• Consume healthy fat; fat is needed to synthesise hormones, absorb your fat soluble vitamins and minerals and have an anti-inflammatory effect in the body. Hydrogenated fats that are found in processed and fried foods will have the opposite effect, so try and limit these where possible. Examples of healthy fats include avocado, extra virgin olive oil, oily fish and nuts and seeds.

Lifestyle       

• Try breathwork; it’s free, easy and accessible, and will help you to manage stress levels.

An exercise I recommend to everyone is a breathing technique called the 4-7-8 exercise and I recommend doing it daily, preventively, or when needed, and most definitely prior to eating to ensure calmness to aid digestion and absorption.

This is how you do it – Breathe in for 4 seconds, hold for 7 seconds and breathe out for 8 seconds, do this for a minimum of 3-4 times.

Endocrine disruptors

As they are considered ‘forever chemicals’, we can’t entirely remove them, however some may be excreted through urine and menstruation. Another way to reduce them is to make simple changes to reduce exposure where possible to reduce the toxic load

 

• It is difficult to make changes at work, as cross-infection control must happen, but consider the products you are using at home. Studies have shown that the more perfumed a product is, the more likely it is to contain EDCs in. (Xenobiot et al 2023)
• Switch up plastic food containers to glass, or alternatively ensure the plastic is BPA free, and include that in the bottle you drink water out of too.
• Do you use non-stick pans? If so, ensure they are PTFE or PFOA free
• Buy organic fruit and vegetables, if possible, there is a guide on the PAN UK website called the clean fifteen and the dirty dozen which lists the fruit and vegetables recommended to buy organic and which ones not to, so you can avoid foods high in pesticides/EDCs.
• Read labels, if there are words in the ingredients that you wouldn’t want to put in a sandwich, consider not putting it onto your skin or use in your home.

 

When I deliver a hormonal health workshop I’m often asked if there is a quick fix for hormonal health issues, and the honest answer is no. Looking at the areas discussed in this article with consistency will help you to support your endocrine system and hormonal health.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6761896/

https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/what-is-diabetes/prediabetes-insulin-resistance

https://www.diabetes.org.uk/living-with-diabetes/emotional-wellbeing/stress

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK278995/

https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/endocrine

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28981654/

https://www.pan-uk.org/pfas-forever-chemicals/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36480101/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36480101/

https://www.endocrine.org/topics/edc/what-edcs-are/common-edcs