The more you clean your teeth, the better off your children will be. That is what David Cochran, D.D.S., Ph.D., chairman of periodontics at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio hypothesizes. Dr. Cochran and Donald Dudley, M.D., professor of obstetrics and gynecology, are the Health Science Center’s co-principal investigators of a five-year study examining the correlation between periodontal (gum) disease and preterm births.
The Health Science Center is one of three national sites conducting the MOTOR trial - Maternal Oral Therapy to Reduce Obstetric Risk trial. It will observe 1,800 pregnant women nationwide with periodontal disease and examine the effects it has on their birth outcomes.
"Approximately 12 percent of all pregnancies in the United States are delivered before term," Dr. Dudley said. "Since 1980, the rate of preterm birth in the United States has increased by 50 percent. Several studies have been conducted, but nothing has decreased the preterm birth rate in this country."
While the researchers continue to focus on the correlation between preterm birth and periodontal disease, the answer is believed to lie in the body’s ability to fight bacteria.
"Both periodontal disease and preterm birth appear to be the result of an overly active inflammatory process," Dr. Dudley said. "Inflammation is a response by a host - in this case a person - to an infection. Some inflammation is necessary to control infection. Too much inflammation is harmful, as it harms the host."
A variety of bacteria live in every mouth, Dr. Cochran explained. When the body cannot fight the bacteria, periodontal disease results.
"For years researchers thought the cause of periodontal disease was the bacteria on the teeth," Dr. Cochran said. "We now realize that the disease is caused by our own host response to the bacteria. So the bacteria are necessary, but not sufficient, to cause periodontal disease. Each body will respond differently.
"Changing even 1 percent of the preterm birth rate in this country would be incredible because a child’s life has been influenced - not just at birth, but throughout the child’s entire life span," Dr. Cochran said. "It’s really significant that we might be able to do this simply by cleaning the mother’s teeth."
Six hundred San Antonio women will participate in the study – now in its third year – which offers dental procedures that treat periodontal disease. The University of Alabama and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill/Duke Hospital are the two other national sites involved in the trial.
Did you know that…?•Periodontal disease occurs when bacteria in the mouth are not eliminated by the body. When left untreated, bacteria cause bone and tissue damage that can lead to tooth loss.
•Although the link between periodontal disease and preterm births has not been established, studies of periodontal disease have shown it to be a high-risk factor of many diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease and obesity.
•Preterm births are more likely to result in serious medical conditions for the child, including intraventricular hemorrhage (bleeding of the brain), cerebral palsy, retardation or at worst, death.
Warning signs of periodontal disease:• Gums that bleed easily
• Red, swollen or tender gums
• Gums that have pulled away from the teeth
• Persistent bad breath
• Pus between the teeth and gums
• Loose or separating teeth
• A change in the way teeth fit together when biting
• A change in the fit of partial dentures
Source: American Academy of PeriodontologyContact:
Jacquelyn SprucePhone: (210) 567-0414
E-mail:
sprucej@uthscsa.edu
