Periodontal
Therapy MAY Reduce the incidence of Preterm Births And Low Birth Weight
Infants
[
Submitted by Dr Andreas Siebold on 5 December, 2005 ]
Study
showed that women with gingivitis who received periodontal therapy
before 28 weeks of gestation had a significantly lower incidence of
preterm low-birthweight than women who did not receive periodontal
therapy.
CHICAGO - Pregnant women will want to
include a periodontal evaluation as part of their prenatal care. That's
because researchers found that periodontal treatment significantly
reduced the risk of having a preterm birth or a low birthweight infant,
according to a study published in the Journal of Periodontology.
"We found a significant association between gingivitis and preterm
birth after adjusting for the major risk factors for preterm delivery,
suggesting that gingivitis, the earliest form of periodontal disease, is
an independent risk factor for preterm birth and low birthweight,"
said Dr. Néstor J. López, Professor of the University of Chile.
"Periodontal therapy reduced preterm birth and low birthweight
infant rates by 68 percent in women with pregnancy-associated
gingivitis."
This is in concordance with two other intervention studies in which
periodontal treatment reduced the incidence of preterm births and low
birth weight infants between 71 percent and 84 percent in pregnant women
with moderate to severe chronic periodontitis.
"Ideally, women should begin their pregnancy without periodontal
infections, and they should be educated and motivated to maintain a high
level of oral hygiene prior to and throughout pregnancy," said López.
"If periodontal infection is diagnosed at any time during
pregnancy, the treatment should be administered as soon as possible in
order to reduce the risk of preterm birth and low birthweight."
"Pregnancy-associated gingivitis is a preventable and easy to treat
disease," explains Kenneth A. Krebs, DMD and AAP president.
"Although it is still not known what are the precise mechanisms
involved in the association between periodontal infections and preterm
birth, to date, no harmful damaging effect caused by periodontal
intervention in pregnant women has been reported."
High health care costs are generated by preterm birth, and any strategy
that reduces the preterm birth rate is likely to produce both health and
economic benefits for mothers and infants. "The real cost saving is
best represented by the lives of children saved from premature death and
biological and social impairment," said Lopez.
BACKGROUND
INFORMATION
Researchers from Chile conducted this
trial in a population of 870 pregnant women at low risk for preterm
birth and low birthweight. Upon entering the study, all women received a
full-mouth periodontal examination and the following variables were
measured:
* Gingival inflammation
* Probing depth
* Clinical attachment level
* Oral hygiene status was assessed
* Percentages of surfaces demonstrating plaque
* Bleeding on probing (in this study bleeding on probing was selected as
the variable describing gingivitis, the earliest stage of periodontal
inflammation.)
Researchers divided the women into two groups - a controlled group and a
treatment group. Women in the treatment group received periodontal
therapy before 28 weeks of gestation and maintenance therapy was
provided every two to three weeks until delivery. The periodontal
therapy consisted of plaque control instructions, supragingival and
subgingival scaling and crown polishing. At the beginning of treatment,
each woman was provided with toothbrushes and chlorhexidine and
instructed to rinse once a day with .12% chlorhexidine until delivery.
Women in the control group were monitored two to three times during
pregnancy and repeated periodontal examinations were performed after 30
weeks of gestation to assess changes in periodontal status.
The American Academy of Periodontology is an 8,000-member association of
dental professionals specializing in the prevention, diagnosis and
treatment of diseases affecting the gums and supporting structures of
the teeth and in the placement and maintenance of dental implants.
Periodontics is one of nine dental specialties recognized by the
American Dental Association.
Link to AAP Website
