- ALLERGY, RESPIRATORY
- Air Quality Better in Northeast, Midwest
- Keep Asthma, Allergies at Bay for the Holidays
- Molecule in Skin May Link Eczema and Asthma
- ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
- Quit Smoking the Holistic Way
- Acupuncture Eases Breast Cancer Treatment Side Effects
- Cranberries May Help Prevent Urinary Tract Infections
- ANIMAL CARE
- Rest Easy. When It Comes to Swine Flu, Your Pet Is Safe
- Beware of Dog Bites
- Separation Anxiety, Canine-Style
- BONES & JOINTS
- Sea Worm Inspires Novel Bone Glue
- Low Vitamin D Raises Women's Hip Fracture Risk
- Vitamin K Doesn't Slow Bone Loss
- CANCER
- Low Vitamin D Levels May Initiate Cancer Development
- Breast Self-Exam Rates Go Up With Counseling
- Acupuncture May Help Relieve Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
- CAREGIVING
- Bariatric Surgery Centers Don't Deliver Better Outcomes
- Are Hospital Mobile Phones Dialing Up Superbugs?
- Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome as Deadly as Ever
- CIRCULATORY SYSTEM
- Night Shift Work Hard on the Heart
- Migraines in Pregnancy Boost Vascular Risks
- Years of Exposure to Traffic Pollution Raises Blood Pressure
- COSMETIC
- Get Sugared!.... Its a sweet choice for hair removal
- With Psoriasis, the Internet May Offer Hope
- The Acne Drug Accutane More Than Doubles Depression Risk
- DENTAL, ORAL
- Rheumatoid Arthritis May Harm Gums
- Gum Care Helps Control Type 2 Diabetes and Its Complications
- Gum Disease May Reactivate AIDS Virus
- DIABETES
- 'Standard' Glucose Test May Be Wrong One for Obese Children
- Fish Twice a Week Cuts Diabetics' Kidney Risks
- Laughter May Lower Heart Attack Risk in Diabetics
- DIET, NUTRITION
- Oregano Shown to be the Most Powerful Culinary Herb
- Olive Oil May Be Key to Mediterranean Diet's Benefits
- Vinegar Might Help Keep Off Pounds
- DISABILITIES
- Could Your Cell Phone Help Shield You From Alzheimer's?
- Review Finds Marijuana May Help MS Patients
- ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
- Improved Fungicides May Be Easier on Environment
- Gene Mutation May Cause Some Cases of Seasonal Affective Disorder
- Fish in U.S. Rivers Tainted With Common Medications
- EYE CARE, VISION
- Don't Lose Sight of Halloween Safety
- Guard Kids' Eyes Against Long-Term Sun Damage
- Diabetic Eye Disease Rates Soaring
- FITNESS
- Eating Well And Keeping Active As You Grow Old Will Help You Stay Sharp
- Moderate Aerobic Exercise Lowers Diabetics' Liver Fat
- Community Exercise Programs Boost Seniors' Strength
- GASTROINTESTINAL PROBLEMS
- Bowel Prep Harder on Women Than Men
- Japanese Herbals May Ease Gastro Woes
- Olive Oil May Protect Against Bowel Disease
- GENERAL HEALTH
- After Job Loss, People Report More Health Issues
- Internet Program Helps Problem Drinkers
- Common Social Groups and Race, Seem to Help People Relate
- HEAD & NECK
- Zen May Thicken Brain, Thwart Pain
- Ski Helmets Encouraged for All
- Many Children Will Outgrow Headaches
- HEALTH & TECHNOLOGY
- Using Light Therapy to Silence Harmful Brain Activity
- 'Comfort Dogs' Come to Emotional Rescue
- The Internet Is Becoming One-Stop Shopping for Health Help
- HEART & CARDIOVASCULAR
- Fatty Fish May Cut Heart Failure Risk in Men
- How Weight Loss Can Help the Heart
- Arteries Age Twice as Fast in Smokers
- INFECTIOUS DISEASE
- Dry Weather Boosts Odds of Flu Outbreaks
- Bacterial Infections May Succumb to Honey
- Poor Restroom Cleaning Causes Cruise-Ship Sickness
- KID'S HEALTH
- Backpack Safety Should Be on Back-to-School Lists
- More Calcium And Dairy Products in Childhood Could Mean Longer Life
- Working Intensely Early on May Help Autistic Kids
- MEN'S HEALTH
- More Vitamin C May Mean Less Chance of Gout
- Soy Linked to Low Sperm Count
- Whole Grains, Bran May Fight Hypertension in Men
- MENTAL HEALTH
- Brain Scans Show How Humans 'Hear' Emotion
- Reminiscing Helps Build Emotional Strength
- Green Spaces Boost the Body and the Mind
- PREGNANCY
- Woman in America Are Delaying Motherhood, Study Says
- Obesity May Affect Fertility in Young Womene
- Pregnant Women Exposed To Certain Pollutants Could Lower Childs IQ
- SENIORS
- Seniors Who Volunteer May Live Longer
- Any Old Cane Won't Do
- Living Alone Increases Odds of Developing Dementia
Gum Disease Treatment Doesn't Cut Preterm Birth Risk
By eHolistic.com Published: 01/29/2009
THURSDAY, Jan. 29 (HealthDay News) -- Treating gum disease doesn't decrease a woman's risk of preterm birth, according to a U.S. study that challenges previous research suggesting a link.
As a result of those earlier findings, insurers and health-care providers started to recommend that pregnant women undergo dental "deep cleaning" (scaling and root planing) to reduce the risk of preterm delivery.
This new study, overseen by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Dentistry, included 1,800 pregnant women with periodontal (gum) disease. The women were randomly assigned to two groups: One received periodontal treatment before 23 weeks gestation, while the other group did not receive treatment.
Overall, the two groups showed no significant differences in obstetric or neonatal outcomes. The findings were presented Thursday at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine annual meeting, in San Diego.
"The biggest implication of this study is that this level of standard periodontal care will not affect the birth outcome," Dr. Amy Murtha, director of obstetrics research at Duke University Medical Center, said in an university news release. Duke was one of the medical schools participating in the study.
"That's not to say pregnant women should not get dental exams and treatment as needed; they should. Our study emphasizes that treating periodontal disease during pregnancy is safe, but that standard periodontal care is not enough," to reduce the risk of preterm birth, said Murtha, who presented the findings at the meeting.
More research is needed to better understand the relationship between gum disease and preterm birth.
"Periodontal disease and poor pregnancy outcomes travel together, but we don't know why," Murtha said. She suggested that preterm birth and gum disease may share a common underlying trait, such as an exaggerated inflammatory response.
It's also unclear why pregnancy appears to be associated with the onset and progression (worsening) of gum disease. Progression of periodontal disease occurs in about 25 percent of pregnancies.
More information
The U.S. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development has more about preterm labor and birth.
-- Robert Preidt
SOURCE: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Dentistry, news release, Jan. 29, 2009
Last Updated: Jan. 29, 2009
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