March JADA finds pregnant women who visited dentist less likely to have preeclampsia

Study analyzed more than 200,000 responses from Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System

Pregnant women who received preventive oral health care or visited the dentist were less likely to have hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, such as preeclampsia, according to the cover story of the March issue of The Journal of the American Dental Association.

The study authors analyzed more than 200,000 responses from pregnant women in the 2016-20 Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System to evaluate the associations between having their teeth cleaned by a dentist or dental hygienist, visiting a dentist or dental clinic for oral health problems that arose during pregnancy, and developing hypertensive disorders of pregnancy or gestational diabetes.

Pregnant women who did not get their teeth cleaned were 13% more likely to have gestational diabetes and 8% more likely to have hypertensive disorders of pregnancy than those who did receive preventive care.

Those who did not visit a dentist or dental clinic for problems during pregnancy were 28% more likely to develop hypertensive disorders of pregnancy than pregnant women without dental issues. There was no significant association between dental visits and gestational diabetes.

“Health care professionals should emphasize the importance of obtaining oral health care services to promote oral and overall health among pregnant women,” the authors said in the study. “Dentists need to improve their knowledge and willingness to treat pregnant women, especially those with pregnancy complications.”

Other articles in the March issue of JADA discuss the association of dietary and plasma fatty acids with periodontitis, dental board disciplinary action among general dentists in Texas, and patient perception and knowledge of periodontal disease.

Every month, JADA articles are published online at JADA.ADA.org. ADA members can access JADA content with their ADA username and password.