DIAGNOSING ORAL SILENT INFLAMMATIONS
How ``mouth-healthy`` are your fertility patients?
“Statistically, 20-year-old women have one less tooth than men of the same age,” notes Dr. Christiane Gleissner, President of the German Society for Gender-Specific Dentistry, Oral and Maxillofacial Therapy.
The importance of oral health in gynecological practice is often underestimated. About every second adult in Germany is diagnosed with moderate periodontitis – and the trend is rising. Some 30-100% of pregnant women suffer from gingivitis, a precursor to periodontal disease. The reason for this includes altered hormone levels.
NUMEROUS INTERNATIONAL STUDIES HAVE SHOWN LINKS BETWEEN PERIODONTAL DISEASES AND
- bacterial vaginoses
- endometriosis
- Fertility in men and women
- gestational diabetes
- preclampsia
- premature babies
- low birth weight (< 2,500
IS THERE A NEED FOR ACTION?
YES, ESPECIALLY IN COUPLES OR PATIENTS WITH A DESIRE TO HAVE CHILDREN, BECAUSE
- Periodontal diseases can affect the conception as well as severe obesity
- there is a connection between periodontitis and male infertility, e.g. sperm motility
- poor periodontal status prior to in vitro fertilisation (IVF) can reduce the success rate
- Moderate periodontitis can increase the risk of premature birth by a factor of 7.5 (alcohol consumption only 3 times)
- the risk of an underweight premature baby is up to 7 times higher in pregnant women with severe periodontal disease
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