Periodontology and pregnancy: An overview of biomedical and epidemiological evidence

Women are particularly susceptible to developing gingival problems during pregnancy. In addition, periodontal disease in pregnant women may lead to adverse outcomes for both mother and infant, which have serious clinical and public health implications. Both scenarios have been extensively researched, helping to bring attention to pregnant women as an important and vulnerable population as it concerns periodontal health. The increase in gingival inflammation caused by hormonal changes in pregnant women is undisputed and has been studied and documented since the 1960s, although the exact etiology is not fully understood. The relationship between periodontal disease during pregnancy and adverse pregnancy outcomes is less substantiated, because of conflicting evidence. This review of the biomedical and epidemiologic literature provides an overview of both sides of this relationship and examines the potential mechanisms for developing periodontal disease during pregnancy and the proposed mechanisms by which periodontal disease leads to adverse pregnancy outcomes.