CHICAGO (Reuters) - The same estrogen hormone elderly women take to fend off symptoms of menopause such as brittle bones likely helps them keep their teeth as well, researchers reported Sunday.

A substantial portion of the elderly gradually lose their natural teeth and women are particularly vulnerable, with many cases thought to be associated with bone loss in the jaw, or alveolar, bone that surrounds the teeth.

Roughly 40% of American women over age 65 do not have any of their natural teeth, and many suffer from gum disease, according to the study, which was published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Just as estrogen has been shown to strengthen skeletal bones susceptible to osteoporosis, it has a similar impact on the alveolar bone and potentially prevents tooth loss, said researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

In the study of 135 women, roughly half took estrogen as well as calcium and vitamin D supplements and received regular dental checkups. The remaining women received the supplements and the checkups but substituted a placebo, or sugar pill, for the estrogen.

Those who received the hormone replacement therapy had an average 3.6% gain in bone density in their femur, the leg bone joined to the hip, compared to an 0.2% bone density improvement in those taking the placebo. In tests of the alveolar bone, density improved an average of 1.8% among those taking estrogen, and 1% among those taking a placebo.

Women taking the placebo who had a slight improvement in bone density in their jaw bone did not show bone improvements elsewhere in their bodies.

"This means that perhaps you can prevent bone erosion in the jaw with calcium and vitamin D, but those supplements are not sufficient to restore bone loss," said study author Dr. Roberto Civitelli, a professor of medicine, cell biology and physiology. "However, estrogen does appear to restore bone throughout the body."

"There are so many people with dentures that I think this really requires more attention, particularly as the population ages," he added.

While hormone replacement therapy is known to help women maintain bone density after menopause, its benefits for the heart have been controversial, with some studies suggesting the hormones actually boost heart attack risk. Hormone replacement therapy can also increase a woman's risk of developing breast cancer.

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