What possible link could serious pregnancy complications have with dental health?
The connection is actually critical to the health of both mother and child.
Medical research has proven an oral bacteria link to many serious conditions including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, COPD, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease and colorectal cancer. Research also shows the significant and sometimes devastating consequences of dental infection on women and their unborn children during the entire pregnancy process.
CDC statistics show that 11% of births are preterm with a devastating mortality rate of 35%, with associated medical costs of $26 billion1 – the CDC fails to mention the incalculable emotional toll. These appalling statistics can be lowered through education, an understanding of the facts and sensible action by doctors and patients.
What are the pregnancy complications linked to periodontal disease?
* Difficulty with conception
* Preeclampsia
* Premature labor / preterm birth
* Low birth weight
* Fetal death
Numerous scientific studies reveal startling links between oral health and pregnancy.
A study presented to the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology concluded that women affected with periodontal disease could take up to seven months longer to conceive than women who were dentally healthy.2
In the Journal of Pregnancy, authors Babalola and Omole reported, “women with severe periodontal disease are 7.5 times more likely to go into labor prematurely. Periodontal disease places pregnant women at greater risk for preterm birth than alcohol consumption or smoking.”3
An article in Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics concluded a “strong association” between periodontal disease and preterm delivery and preeclampsia.4
A study published in the Journal of Indian Society of Pedodontics and Preventative Dentistry revealed a 10.2% difference in mean infant birth weight when considering the presence and absence of maternal periodontal disease. This study was able to reduce the incidence of preterm and low birth weight by simply completing maternal periodontal therapy.5
Dr. Yiping Han linked fetal death (stillborn) to Fusobacterium, a periodontal bacteria, using DNA tracking.6 Dr. Han, a researcher with the CWRU School of Dental Medicine, has conducted substantial and groundbreaking research on the effects of oral bacteria on multiple health issues, “Almost every disease in research literature reviewed has the presence of Fusobacterium at the diseased site,” Han concludes in one study.7 Scientific evidence substantiates a distinct and serious relationship between oral health and pregnancy and fertility complications.
How do researchers explain the oral bacteria/pregnancy complication connection?
Pregnancy can cause women to be more predisposed to infection and can also generate a more severe infection. This occurs because of alterations in a woman’s immune system that protect the baby from the mother’s natural immune defense system and due to obvious hormonal changes. Periodontal disease creates a bacteremia (blood infection), which triggers a hepatic (liver) acute phase response resulting in production and release of cytokines, interleukins (both chemical protein messengers) and prostaglandins (inflammatory mediators, i.e. PGE2). In part, this inflammatory cascade initiates premature labor by restricting placental blood flow causing decreased uterine growth and/or placental destruction. The presence of dental bacteria is at first harmful to the mother and then becomes potentially damaging to the wellbeing of the unborn child.
How can the dentist help?
Controlling periodontal disease and focusing on dental health will improve the medical health of all patients. In the case of a pregnant woman the impact of poor dental health can be catastrophic to both mother and child.
Certainly the control of dental infection should be a priority of those struggling with fertility issues since studies show that women without periodontal disease will conceive substantially sooner than those with the disease. Before beginning fertility treatments or attempting to become pregnant a woman should see her dentist to treat any dental infection. This will impact both the likelihood of becoming pregnant and the success of her upcoming pregnancy.
During pregnancy a focus on maternal dental health will help avoid serious health issues for the mother and secure a safe delivery of her child. Research determines that improving dental health will improve the health of the mother and the unborn child by lowering the incidence of preterm and low birth rate deliveries.
The physician, the dentist and the patient should all acknowledge that visits to the dentist and a focus on dental health are vital to any healthy pregnancy. Without doubt, the health of the child is tied to the health of the mother.
