It is a known fact that pregnancy is associated with dental problems. But are the dental bacteria affecting the pregnant mothers strong enough to affect the babies’ birth weight or the time of delivery?
In a study done by the New York University College of Dentistry, US, say that it is possible that dental bacteria affect the pregnancy by causing pre-term delivery or babies born with low birth weight. Researchers have evaluated specific oral bacteria like Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus sobrinus, Streptococcus sanguinus, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei, Actinomyces naeslundii genospecies (gsp) 1 and 2 in association with pregnancy duration and low birth weight of newborns.The scientists of the study have found out that the results show significant effect of these bacteria on the pregnancy term and birth weights of the infant do exist. Previously only periodontal pathogens seem to have an effect on the pregnant mother’s health. The results of the study show that not only the bacteria do affect the duration of pregnancy and birth weight; there is no results to show that treatment of these oral infections will be able to control the effect of these bacteria.
Reference: Journal of Periodontology, issue March 2005
