There’s a new study that questions some previous findings about Pregnancy and Periodontics.
One of the benefits of our newsletter is that new information can be shared with many people as soon as it is learned. In the December 2010 Journal of the American Dental Association, there was an article, “The effectiveness of periodontal disease treatment during pregnancy in reducing the risk of experiencing preterm birth and low birth weight.” There are several risk factors for preterm birth such as age, smoking, ethnicity and multiple pregnancies. There is also evidence that systemic infection stimulates the inflammation pathway that can start early labor.
Periodontal disease is known to be related to many other diseases, such as diabetes, osteoporosis, heart disease, stroke, respiratory disease, Alzheimer’s disease and pancreatic cancer.
In 2003, a landmark study was written by Dr. Marjorie Jeffcoat, one of my mentors and past chairman of Periodontics at the University of Alabama, discussing the relationship between periodontal disease and preterm birth. Since that time it has been believed that treating periodontal disease during pregnancy reduces the risk of experiencing preterm births and low birth weight babies.
A new review of the literature now shows that the earlier studies may not have taken into account the number of patients who smoked or who were treated with antibiotics for their periodontal condition.
The conclusion of this new meta-analysis review of the literature is that periodontal therapy during pregnancy does not reduce the risk of preterm birth or low birth weight. This is the complete reverse of what we have thought for the past eight years. It is important for us to be able to embrace new findings and implement this information into our clinical practice. The author of this new study stated that although periodontal therapy during pregnancy may not change experiencing preterm birth or low birth weight, it may be important for periodontal health to be achieved prior to becoming pregnant.
I think the bottom line is that achieving periodontal health should always be our goal, regardless if it affects pregnancy or not. I hope I have brought you new information for your practice. I look forward to sharing clinical cases with you in the future.
