Login Register FOR PATIENTS FOR DENTISTS RESEARCH DENTAL PROBLEMS

   Go

Gum disease, such as gingivitis, can become a chronic inflammatory disease affecting the gum tissue and other structures supporting the teeth. If left untreated, gum disease can lead to tooth loss. It may also affect general health as it may interfere with other systems of the body.

Like many diseases, gum disease too can be passed on from one person to another easily, making children vulnerable if their parents and caregivers suffer from it.  If an expectant mother suffers from gum disease, the disease causing bacteria can also be passed on to a baby in the womb through the placenta. This is possible because the placenta is an immune-suppressed organ compared to others. Due to this quality, the placenta is able to accept the baby as part of the mother’s body without her immune system attacking the baby as an invader, similar to how the body attacks disease causing organism entering the body.[1]

“We know that gingivitis doesn’t happen overnight and that it’s important for women to enter pregnancy in good health,” said Dr. Michael Lu, an Associate Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Public Health at the University of California Los Angeles Medical Center.[2] “I would love to see every woman who is contemplating pregnancy get pre-conception care that includes an oral health check-up.”

---

[1] http://www.dentalscholarnews.com/BlogDetails.aspx?id=57

 

[2]http://www.healthychild.ucla.edu/DropDownMenu/StaffDirectory/Lu.asp

---

  

Copyright © 2009 Free Dentist Finder. All rights reserved.