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Brushing teeth ‘can prevent pregnancy complications’
31st Mar 2009
Pregnant mums can reduce dangerous complications during pregnancy and prevent infection in their newborn baby by brushing their teeth well.
That's according to a recent report by scientists who suggest that bacteria in a woman's mouth can cause potentially serious problems during pregnancy.
Researchers found that bacteria from a mother's mouth can be transmitted through the blood and amniotic fluid in the womb to her unborn child.
They warn that this could contribute to the risk of a premature delivery, a low birth-weight baby, premature onset of contractions, or infection of the newborn child.
Doctors cannot explain the cause of many pregnancy complications and the authors of the study insist that simple good oral healthcare can help to reduce the risk.
The research looked at contents of the stomachs of 57 newborn babies, which contained swallowed amniotic fluid.
The researchers found that the samples contained 46 different types of bacteria, two of which are found mainly in the mouth.
Research leader, Cecilia Gonzales-Marin, from Queen Mary University of London, said: ‘Hospitals routinely take these samples as part of the care of the babies born from a complicated pregnancy or at risk of serious infection.
‘Our research group is using DNA techniques to confirm if bacteria from the newborn matches the bacteria in the respective mother's mouth.'
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