Gum disease, premature births linked in study

Pregnant women with periodontal disease are more likely to deliver prematurely, according to an ongoing study of more than 2,000 pregnant women.

The study adds to the mounting evidence that women with periodontal disease are more likely to deliver a preterm, low birth-weight baby.

Research presented May 7 at the American Academy of Periodontology's Specialty Conference on Periodontal Medicine in Washington, D.C., suggested that the risk for women who have generalized periodontal disease-affecting at least 30 percent of the mouth-could be even higher than earlier evidence shows.

"We were amazed by these findings," Dr. Marjorie Jeffcoat, the study's lead researcher, said in an AAP news release. "While there is a definite dose response, the trend for preterm birth was observed in women with as little as two sites with attachment loss."