Some previous studies have suggested a link between gum disease treatment and the risk for premature birth in women, but now a US study discards any such link and finds that treatment of gum diseases does not reduce the risk of premature delivery in a woman.

Because of these earlier studies, different health care providers and insurers have been recommending pregnant women to undergo dental cleaning to decrease their risk for premature delivery.

In this study, 1800 those pregnant women were included who had some periodontal disease. The women were divided into two groups: One group was given periodontal treatment before the gestation of 23 weeks, while the other group wasn’t given any treatment.

The researchers didn’t find any significant difference in neonatal and obstetric outcomes of these two groups. The study will be presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, in San Diego.

Dr. Amy Murtha, the lead author of the study, says in a news release, “the results of our study show that periodontal treatment and care has no effect on the birth outcomes,”

“But it doesn’t mean pregnant women avoid getting dental treatment and other tests as required, contrarily, they must do so. The study has emphasized that gum disease treatment during pregnancy is safe, but these treatments do not play any important in reducing premature delivery risk in women.”

Further studies are needed to have a better understanding of the link between premature birth and gum disease.

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