Birth risk raised with gum disease

LONDON - Pregnant women who do not visit the dentist regularly or look after their teeth properly are at a higher risk of having their baby prematurely, damaging their offspring's chances of long-term good health.

Scientists have found that the effect of gum disease, which is caused by bacteria that accumulate in pockets between the teeth and gums, can be as harmful to the unborn child as a mother smoking regularly.

The five-year study found that the risk of having a premature baby of a low birth weight was more than seven times higher for women with severe gum disease. Prematurity is the main cause of death and disability in newborn babies.

Professor Steven Offenbacher, from the University of North Carolina, tested 357 women aged 15 to 45 for gum disease when they were less than 26 weeks pregnant and then again three days after the birth of their baby. "The effect of gum disease in pregnancy seems to be as harmful as other well-established risk factors such as smoking. The next step will be to examine whether providing dental treatment to pregnant mothers suffering from gum disease results in a decrease in premature birth."

- INDEPENDENT