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Updated: Aug 19, 2025
Oral Biofilm Sampling for Microbiome Analysis in Healthy Children
Published on: December 31, 2017
Inflammatory Response in Oral Biofilm during Pregnancy: A Systematic Review
Berit Lieske1,2, Nataliya Makarova2, Bettina Jagemann2
1Department of Periodontics, Preventive and Restorative Dentistry, Center for Dental and Oral Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistraße 52, O58, 20246 Hamburg, Germany.
Insights
Pregnant women exhibit heightened inflammatory biomarkers in oral biofilm, linked to systemic conditions and poorer oral health. Future research should adopt a holistic approach, considering maternal health factors.
Area of Science:
- Oral health research
- Immunology
- Maternal health
Background:
- Pregnancy involves significant physiological changes impacting oral health.
- Understanding oral inflammatory responses during pregnancy is crucial for identifying potential markers of complications.
Approach:
- A systematic review of 39 studies was conducted.
- Literature search included PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library from inception to April 2022.
- The review assessed inflammatory responses, biomarker changes, and associations with maternal/oral conditions.
Key Points:
- Oral biofilm in pregnant women shows elevated inflammatory biomarkers compared to non-pregnant women.
- Highest inflammatory biomarker levels were observed in pregnant women with systemic conditions.
- Increased oral biofilm inflammation correlated with adverse oral health outcomes.
Conclusions:
- Oral biofilm inflammation during pregnancy is associated with systemic and oral health issues.
- Nutrition and lifestyle factors, largely excluded, warrant future investigation.
- A holistic maternal health perspective is recommended for future research.
Abstract:
Understanding the inflammatory response in oral biofilm during pregnancy and its association with oral and maternal health is essential for identifying biomarker patterns that may serve as markers of pregnancy-related complications. We aimed to conduct a systematic review of the available literature to assess: (1) inflammatory responses in oral biofilm during pregnancy, (2) the association between inflammatory responses in oral biofilm during pregnancy and maternal, oral or systemic conditions, (3) changes in the response of inflammatory biomarkers found in the oral biofilm during different pregnancy stages, and (4) the value of other risk factors such as nutrition and lifestyle. PubMed, Web of Science and Cochrane Library were systematically searched from inception until April 2022. From 5441 records, 39 studies were included for qualitative assessment. The oral biofilm in pregnant women was associated with increased inflammatory biomarkers when compared to non-pregnant women. Levels of inflammatory biomarkers in the oral biofilm were found to be highest in pregnant women with systemic conditions. Increased inflammatory biomarkers in the oral biofilm were also associated with worse oral health outcomes. Given the importance of nutrition and lifestyle for pregnancy and oral health outcomes and the fact that these factors were largely excluded in the included studies, future research should consider a holistic view of the mother during pregnancy to capture physiological, hormonal, immunologic, and metabolic changes in the context of inflammatory responses.
