Premature Birth Tied To Periodontal Disease
June 18, 2008

by Nancy Volkers
InteliHealth News Service

INTELIHEALTH - A study has added weight to the idea that periodontal disease can put pregnant women at risk for preterm birth.

Researchers from the Jordan University of Science and Technology in Irbid, Jordan did the study. They compared 148 women who had premature births with 438 women who had full-term births.

The women who gave birth prematurely had more serious periodontal disease. They did not have more evidence of receding gums. Women who had premature babies also did not have more tooth decay, filled teeth or missing teeth.

Many studies have linked periodontal disease in pregnant women with giving birth prematurely or having a low-birthweight baby. Some studies have not found a relationship.

On its website, the American Academy of Periodontology says that pregnant women with periodontal disease may be up to seven times more likely to have a premature birth or a low-birthweight baby. The academy notes that pregnant women can receive a special type of tooth cleaning called scaling and root planing. This is a common treatment for periodontal disease.

The study appears in the June issue of the journal Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics.