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Review
. 2021 Oct;87(1):132-142.
doi: 10.1111/prd.12394.

Periodontology and pregnancy: An overview of biomedical and epidemiological evidence

Karen Raju  1 , Lisa Berens  1
Affiliations
Review

Periodontology and pregnancy: An overview of biomedical and epidemiological evidence

Karen Raju et al. Periodontol 2000. 2021 Oct.

Abstract

Women are particularly susceptible to developing gingival problems during pregnancy. In addition, periodontal disease in pregnant women may lead to adverse outcomes for both mother and infant, which have serious clinical and public health implications. Both scenarios have been extensively researched, helping to bring attention to pregnant women as an important and vulnerable population as it concerns periodontal health. The increase in gingival inflammation caused by hormonal changes in pregnant women is undisputed and has been studied and documented since the 1960s, although the exact etiology is not fully understood. The relationship between periodontal disease during pregnancy and adverse pregnancy outcomes is less substantiated, because of conflicting evidence. This review of the biomedical and epidemiologic literature provides an overview of both sides of this relationship and examines the potential mechanisms for developing periodontal disease during pregnancy and the proposed mechanisms by which periodontal disease leads to adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Keywords: Adverse birth outcomes; Adverse pregnancy outcomes; Biological mechanism; Gingival inflammation; Periodontal disease; Pregnancy.

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References

REFERENCES

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    1. Woman’s Oral Health Care [White Paper]. American Dental Association Council on Access, Prevention, and Interprofessional Relations; 2006. Accessed March 27, 2020. https://ebusiness.ada.org/productcatalog/product.aspx?ID=2313
    1. Armitage GC. Bi-directional relationship between pregnancy and periodontal disease. Periodontol 2000. 2013;61(1):160-176.
    1. Cohen DW, Shapiro J, Friedman L, Kyle GC, Franklin S. A Longitudinal investigation of the periodontal changes during pregnancy and fifteen months post-partum: part II. J Periodontol. 1971;42(10):653-657.

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