CHAPEL HILL, NC — March 7, 2002 — Mothers who suffer from gum disease are significantly more likely to deliver their babies prematurely than women without that illness, which also is known as periodontal disease, a new University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill study shows.
Women with gum disease are also are more likely than others to deliver babies whose weight is less than normal.
The study, done in collaboration with Duke University scientists, supports results of earlier investigations at UNC and elsewhere that suggested a link, said Dr. Steven Offenbacher, professor at the UNC School of Dentistry.
Dr. Offenbacher, director of the Center for Oral and Systemic Diseases, will present his group's findings today in San Diego, California, at the annual meeting of International Association for Dental Research (IADR).
In the five-year study, researchers evaluated periodontal disease in more than 850 women before and after they gave birth and divided the women into groups representing healthy gums, mild disease and moderate-to-severe disease.
They then adjusted for risk factors affecting birth timing and weight such as age, race, food stamp eligibility, marital status, previous pre-term births, smoking and other health problems. …
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