Deborah Lyle explains the importance of oral health before, during and after pregnancy.
Most dental professionals know how important it is for expectant mothers to maintain prime oral health. Pregnant women are even offered free dental treatment under the NHS, mostly due to the proven association between pregnancy and oral disease.
But added research and studies in oral hygiene behaviour indicate that women should be extra vigilant about practising good oral cleaning habits not just during, but before and after pregnancy as well.
Gum disease
It is estimated that 50 to 70 per cent of expectant women suffer from a condition called ‘pregnancy gingivitis’ at some point during their term. This is due to increased amounts of progesterone in their system acting as an immunosuppressant, making pregnant women more susceptible to gingival inflammation.
The discomfort of swollen and bleeding gingival tissue is not the only side effect that mothers-to-be have to suffer when they are diagnosed with periodontal infection; gingivitis and periodontitis can bring more serious consequences to their pregnancy as well. Studies show that expectant women with periodontal disease may be at risk from conditions such as low birth weight babies and pre-term birth. Aside from being predisposed to a myriad of post-natal complications, pre-term and low birth weight babies are also more likely to encounter heart disease, high blood pressure or diabetes later in life.
Fertility
It’s not just during pregnancy that mothers-to-be need extra oral care – initial studies have shown that periodontal disease may affect a woman’s chances of conception as well.
Research conducted at the University of Western Australia presents that women with periodontal disease take an average of two months longer to conceive, as compared to women with good oral health. The same study indicates that non-Caucasian women with periodontal disease take even longer to fall pregnant than average, a finding which conductors of the study put down to their heightened inflammatory response.
The study hypothesises that infertility in the presence of periodontal disease may be due to the same chain of events that lead other researchers to link periodontitis to systemic conditions such as heart disease, respiratory disease and diabetes. It is currently thought that periodontitis can cause other health problems when pathogenic oral bacteria enter the circulatory system through ulcerated epithelial tissue of the periodontal pocket.
The study, which was presented to the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology, proposes that periodontitis has the same order of effect on infertility as obesity. While the study is as yet inconclusive on the exact biology of periodontal disease and its effect on the reproductive system, the findings are significant enough for health care professionals to recommend that women ensure their oral health when trying to conceive.
Mother and child
Maintaining healthy teeth and gums after pregnancy is also essential, as the degree of oral hygiene that mothers practise can have a direct correlation to their baby’s chances of developing infant caries.
Aside from inadvertently introducing bacteria that cause oral disease into their baby’s mouth through kissing and food sharing, mum’s oral hygiene habits may be a huge factor in the child’s future oral health too. Some experts believe that parents who have poor oral hygiene routines are less likely to maintain oral cleanliness in their children, and won’t pass on the habits of proper dental cleaning to their offspring as they grow. While this is more a matter of environmental influence than anything else, the fact remains that the parent’s oral hygiene habits do greatly affect that of the child’s.
Conclusion
Maintaining good oral health is important for everyone, but more so for women in all stages of motherhood, as they are indeed ‘cleaning for two’. For women who are planning, carrying or rearing a child, dental professionals should emphasise the importance of an oral prophylaxis every six months, along with twice daily brushing and interdental cleaning as the minimum care. Since regular interdental cleaning is such a huge part of good oral hygiene, it’s wise for dental professionals to recommend an effective home method, such as the Waterpik Water Flosser, for the removal of food particles and plaque from in between the teeth and along the gingival margin. Getting rid of plaque is one key to maintaining a healthy oral environment. By instilling good oral cleaning habits in mothers and mothers-to-be, dental professionals can help ensure better chances for conception, safer pregnancies and healthier infancies alike.
References available on request.