CLEVELAND, Ohio, USA: A recent study
has investigated the association between periodontitis and women's health
issues. The researchers focused on adverse pregnancy outcomes in particular and
found that periodontitis, depending on the severity, may be linked to
preeclampsia, preterm birth and low birth weight of the child, among others.
By reviewing 61 journals and about
100 articles, Charlene Krejci, associate professor at the Case Western Reserve
University School of Dental Medicine found that a considerable body of
periodontal literature generally associates hormonal changes in women with the
inflammatory disease.
In the early 1980s already, a study
of 54 pregnant and 23 nonpregnant women revealed levels of Bacteroides species
55 times higher in the pregnant group. In addition, women who received
contraceptive therapy were found to have a sixteenfold higher level of the same
bacteria compared with the control group.
More recently, in a study of 366
pregnant women, researchers found various oral bacteria in the amniotic fluid
of women whose pregnancies were complicated by preterm birth. A subsequent
pilot study suggested that nonsurgical periodontal therapy could lower the rate
of preterm birth.
Moreover, a study of 124 women
revealed that periodontitis was significantly more prevalent in women who had
preterm low birth weight (PLBW) infants than in women whose infants had a
normal birth weight. The subjects diagnosed with periodontitis were 7.5 times
more likely to have PLBW infants.
Krejci found that hormonal changes
during puberty, menstruation, pregnancy and menopause, and those accompanying
the use of hormone supplements cause an increase in the number of oral
bacteria, which enter the blood and negatively impact on certain female health
issues.
In addition to regular brushing and
flossing, Krejci recommends visiting the dentists at least twice a year, and
more often if women are pregnant, suffer from bone loss or gum problems.
The study was published in the first
2012 issue of the Oral Health and Preventive Dentistry journal.
Dr. Caroline Wallace DDS
Complete Dental Care
103 South Colorado Street
Salem, Virginia , 24153
540-387-3844
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