TUESDAY, June 3 (HealthDay News) -- There's some truth to the
old wives' tale that "for every child, the mother loses a tooth,"
according to a New York University professor who found that women
with more children are more likely to have missing teeth.
Dr. Stefanie Russell, an assistant professor of epidemiology and
health promotion, examined data on 2,635 women, ages 18 to 64, who
reported at least one pregnancy in the Third National Health and
Nutrition Examination Survey.
The findings were published online in the
American Journal of Public Health.
"This is the first time we've seen a connection between
pregnancy and tooth loss affecting women at all socioeconomic
levels in a large, heterogeneous sample of the U.S. population,"
Russell said in a prepared statement.
Certain biological and behavioral changes related to pregnancy
and childbirth may be the cause of this tooth loss, Russell
said:
- Pregnancy can make women more prone to gingivitis (gum
inflammation), and repeated pregnancies can result in more frequent
outbreaks of gingivitis that may cause tooth loss in women with
periodontitis.
- Women may delay dental treatment due to financial concerns
related to having children.
- Caring for children may lead a mother to reduce the time she
spends on her own oral health.
"Although further research is needed on the specific reasons for
the link between pregnancy and tooth loss, it is clear that women
with multiple children need to be especially vigilant about their
oral health," Russell said.
"We, as a society, need to be more aware of the challenges that
women with children may face in getting access to dental care. That
means offering these women the resources and support they need,
which can be as simple as making sure a working mother gets time
off from work to see the dentist."
More information
Visit the American Dental Association for more on
pregnancy and dental health.
