Infant Health Information
More articles below:
Youngest Preemies' Survival Rate Unchanged
One in Five Parents Would Spank in Certain Settings
Better Teachers Make for Stronger Young Readers
Health Tip
H1N1 Flu Hit Pregnant Women Hard
Day Care Centers Too Quick to Send Mildly Ill Kids Home
Treating Gum Disease May Thwart Preterm Births
FRIDAY, March 5 (HealthDay News) -- In another sign of a link between gum disease and premature birth, a new study finds that pregnant women with periodontal disease who undergo successful treatment are less likely to give birth early.
Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and Washington University in St. Louis studied 872 women with and without gum disease who were pregnant for between six and 20 weeks. Of that group, 160 with gum disease were treated and later evaluated to see whether the treatment had been successful.
About 7 percent of the women without gum disease gave birth before 35 weeks' gestation; the rate was 23.4 percent among those who had gum disease, the researchers found.
The study authors also found that women whose periodontal treatment failed were more likely to have premature infants.
The findings are scheduled to be presented Friday at the annual meeting of the American Association for Dental Research in Washington D.C.
More information
The American Academy of Periodontology has more on gum disease and pregnancy.
DON'T HAVE Rx COVERAGE?Click Here to print out your FREE OPTIMIZERx Card and instantly begin savings on your next prescriptions!
