Pregnant women with periodontal disease are more likely to develop gestational diabetes mellitus than are pregnant women with healthy gingiva, according to a study in the April 2008 issue of Journal of Dental Research.
In the study, led by Dr. Ananda P. Dasanayake, a professor of epidemiology and health promotion at the New York University College of Dentistry, researchers tested the hypothesis that women who develop gestational diabetes mellitus have had greater exposure to clinical and other periodontal parameters compared with women who do not develop gestational diabetes mellitus.
Researchers measured clinical, bacteriological (in plaque and cervicovaginal samples), immunological and inflammatory mediator parameters seven weeks before the diagnosis of gestational diabetes mellitus in 265 predominantly Hispanic (83 percent) women in New York City.
They found that 22 women developed gestational diabetes mellitus (8.3 percent). When they compared these women with healthy (control) women, they found that prior gestational diabetes mellitus and higher prepregnancy body mass index, vaginal levels of Tannerella forsythia and serum C-reactive protein were risk factors, even though the clinical periodontal disease failed to reach statistical significance (50 percent in the women with gestational diabetes mellitus and 37.3 percent in the healthy women).
"In addition to its potential role in preterm delivery, evidence that gum disease may also contribute to gestational diabetes suggests that women should see a dentist if they plan to get pregnant and after becoming pregnant," says Dr. Dasanayake. "Treating gum disease during pregnancy has been shown to be safe and effective in improving women’s oral health and minimizing potential risks.
"In the future," Dr. Dasanayake added, "we can expect to see more research on the link between these two conditions involving other high-risk groups, such as Asian and Native American women."
The study was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health, Dental National institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.
