By Jennifer Garvin from The ADA News

New York - Some adverse pregnancy results can now be directly linked to periodontal disease.

A new study shows that 28.6 percent of women with moderate-to-severe periodontal disease had preterm births (less than 37 weeks) compared to only 11.2 percent of women with healthy gums.

"Our findings indicate that periodontal disease progression during pregnancy contributes to preterm deliveries and especially very preterm deliveries (less than 32 weeks) which places the baby at high risk for neonatal problems and disability," said Dr. Steven Offenbacher, a distinguished professor at the University of North Carolina School of Dentistry who also directs the UNC Center for Oral and Systemic Diseases.

Dr. Offenbacher was a featured speaker at the ADA and American Medical Association's media briefing, "Oral and Systemic Health: Exploring the Connection," held Feb. 23.

Working with a grant from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, Dr. Offenbacher is currently conducting multi-centered trials to see if intervention by maternal gum treatment during pregnancy reduces the risk for prematurity and other periodontal disease-related complications.

Dr. Offenbacher and his team of researchers recently monitored the dental health of 1,020 pregnant women, who over the course of their pregnancy and after delivery were given comprehensive periodontal exams. The first exams were performed at about 15 weeks, where 58 percent had mild gum problems and 14 percent had moderate-to-severe periodontal disease, he said. Of the women with moderate-to-severe disease, more than a quarter (28.6 percent) had a preterm birth.

"Furthermore, women who had progressing periodontal infection over the course of their pregnancy were nearly 2.5 times more likely to have a very preterm birth compared with women whose infection did not change," Dr. Offenbacher said. "Periodontal progression was a significant risk factor for very preterm deliveries, even after controlling for many traditional risk factors such as race, smoking, other infections and social domain factors.

"Good oral hygiene and regular dental office visits can help in treatment and prevention of periodontal disease," he said. "These results are exciting because periodontal disease represents a new risk factor we may be able to control. If periodontal care is included in the prenatal care of women planning to get pregnant and those who are already pregnant, we know we can safely treat and improve oral health. Studies are now under way to determine whether treating gum disease can also reduce the number of preterm low birth weight deliveries each year and avoid the associated complications."

"This research has some significant implications for dentistry," said Dr. Daniel M. Meyer, associate executive director, ADA Division of Science. "This adds to the growing body of knowledge and evidence that oral health and general health are closely related. The key to this in the future will be new studies to assess how and when dentists should treat patients afflicted with periodontal diseases to minimize the risks associated with bacterial infections and inflammation. Ultimately, dentists in the future may have more prominent roles in general health care teams to help improve not only the health of the mother but her newborn child as well."