Health Connection > Pregnancy

Pregnant women need to be informed about Oral Infection.

Oral Infection causes an inflammatory response in all human beings. When pregnant women have Oral Infection, regardless of the severity, the oral bacteria and their toxins can reach the placenta through the mother’s bloodstream and interfere with the growth and development of the fetus.

• At the same time, the oral infection causes the mother to produce labor-triggering substances too quickly, potentially causing premature labor and birth.
• According the American Academy of Periodontology, pregnant women who have periodontal disease may be seven times more likely to have a baby that is born too early and too small.

Recent research at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio found the first conclusive evidence of periodontal bacteria being a factor in the stillbirth of a mother’s unborn child.

Women who are anticipating pregnancy usually go to great lengths to ensure they are in the best possible health for the sake of their unborn child. Oral health is an important part of that. Most treatments for oral infection are safe both during pregnancy and in preparation for pregnancy.

Speak with your dental professional or physician. Screening for pathogenic oral bacteria is especially highly recommended for expecting mothers.

Term Stillbirth Caused by Oral Fusobacterium nucleatum
Han, Yiping W. PhD; Fardini, Yann PhD; Chen, Casey DDS, PhD; Iacampo, Karla G. MD; Peraino, Victoria A.; Shamonki, Jaime M. MD; Redline, Raymond W. MD
BACKGROUND: Intrauterine infection is a recognized cause of adverse pregnancy outcome, but the source of infection is often undetermined. We report a case of stillbirth caused by Fusobacterium nucleatum that originated in the mother’s mouth.
CASE: A woman with pregnancy-associated gingivitis experienced an upper respiratory tract infection at term, followed by stillbirth a few days later. F. nucleatum was isolated from the placenta and the fetus. Examination of different microbial floras from the mother identified the same clone in her subgingival plaque but not in the supragingival plaque, vagina, or rectum.
CONCLUSION: F. nucleatum may have translocated from the mother’s mouth to the uterus when the immune system was weakened during the respiratory infection. This case sheds light on patient management for those with pregnancy-associated gingivitis.