Our oral health affects us in many ways, including reproductively and
sexually. These effects have been seen in both men and women. Studies have
shown that the bacteria that causes gum disease can cause men to have a low
sperm count and the possibility of developing erectile dysfunction (Sulken, 2022). For women, it may affect their
ability to conceive and their pregnancy. It may take women an extra two months
to conceive if they have gum disease (Sulken, 2022). There is also an association between periodontal disease and adverse
pregnancy outcomes such as preterm birth, preeclampsia, miscarriage, and low
birth weight (Gehrig & Willmann, 2019). Women with chronic periodontitis
(gum disease) can be four to seven times more likely to give birth prematurely.
Women experience hormonal changes during pregnancy, making them more
susceptible to developing gum disease (Sulken, 2022). The changes in estrogen and progesterone levels are associated with
the changes that you see in the gums during pregnancy. These changes are most
noticeable between the second and eighth months of pregnancy (Shawn, 2017).
These hormone changes can lead to capillary dilation, which increases growth
and inflammation of the gums. Oral infections can trigger the inflammatory
process, resulting in contractions, leading to the possibility of preterm
birth. The presence of gum disease in women results in a 7.5 times greater risk
of these complications developing (Shawn, 2017). Oral health should be
considered an essential part of a women’s prenatal care (Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, 2019).
Optimize oral health to reduce risks:
Men and women should be flossing daily
and brushing teeth twice a day using fluoridated toothpaste with a soft
toothbrush. For women, it is crucial to develop good oral hygiene habits before
becoming pregnant to reduce the risk of any adverse outcomes related to gum
disease. Women should see their dental hygienist in the first trimester and
regularly see them throughout their pregnancy. Men should also see their dental
hygienists frequently to ensure their gums are healthy (Gurevich, 2020).
By Emily Sampson
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2019). Pregnancy and
oral health feature. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved
March 7, 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/oralhealth/publications/features/pregnancy-and-oral-health.html
Gehrig, J. S. & Willmann, D. E. (2019). Foundations of
periodontics for the dental hygienist (5th ed.). Philadelphia:
Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Gurevich, R. (2020). Why you should see the dentist before trying to getting pregnant. Retrieved March 13, 2022, from https://www.verywellfamily.com/can-dental-hygiene-affect-fertility-4136661#:~:text=Good%20oral%20hygiene%20doesn%27t,poor%20semen%20and%20sperm%20health.
Shawn, F.K. (2017). The effects f oral health on systemic health. Academy
of General Dentistry https://www.agd.org/docs/default-source/self-instruction-(gendent)/gendent_nd17_aafp_kane.pdf
Sulken, T. (2022). What is the oral - systemic link?. Complete Family Dentistry. Retrieved 9 March 2022 from https://fostoriadentist.com/oral-systemic-link/
5 comments:
This is an exciting topic to focus on and do more research on. Oral Health Foundation (2019) states gum disease is one of the most common health conditions. Therefore, educating clients on how oral health is linked to overall health is important. Also, it is important to provide information regarding signs of gum disease to clients since gum disease is usually painless. Due to this reason, it is essential to educate clients to seek regular dental visits to prevent any severe oral health disease. However, more studies need to be done to support the current findings related to poor oral health can increase the risk of stroke.
Reference
Oral Health Foundation. (25 November, 2019). Gum disease doubles stroke risk, according to new study. https://www.dentalhealth.org/news/gum-disease-doubles-stroke-risk-according-to-new-study
We have been taught that there is a link between oral health and systemic health, but until doing the research for these blog posts we did not realize just how many links there are. As dental hygienists, being aware of these links is important, so, like you mentioned, we can educate our clients on all the different aspects. The ADA has some excellent patient resource brochures prepared by the Department of Scientific Information (2021) that we can provide to our clients for further information on their specific conditions. When our clients understand the importance of oral health, the compliance to regular, proper maintenance increases.
Reference
Department of Scientific Information. (20210. https://www.ada.org/resources/research/science-and-research-institute/oral-health-topics/oral-systemic-health
I always find it interesting that it is not a known fact that poor oral health can cause so many pregnancy concerns, especially with all the medical visits the mother has to go through. Beginning dental school, I never knew how our oral health could be connected to so many other health factors. I did my oral health outreach on pregnancy and oral health and many of the viewers were surprised of all the things you mentioned such as preeclampsia, preterm birth etc.
I also find it very interesting that there was a low sperm count in men. I did some research and saw that erectile dysfunction is linked to chronic periodontitis as well (Singh et al., 2017). These could be interesting topics to bring up to clients if they are interested in this information.
Written by: Alexis Leger
References
Singh, V., Nettemu, S., Nettem, S., Hosadurga, R., & Nayak, S. (2017). Oral health and erectile dysfunction. Journal Of Human Reproductive Sciences, 10(3), 162. https://doi.org/10.4103/jhrs.jhrs_87_17
I had not realized that oral health also affected the male reproductive system as much as it does for women. As Alexis mentioned, low sperm count can be found in men who have periodontal disease (Singh et al., 2017). I started looking into this myself, and it is true. The natural immune response that comes from fighting off inflammation in the gingival tissues can potentially start to attack healthy tissues and cells as well as the periodontal tissues (Beerwah Dental, 2020). This can not only lead to a lower sperm count, but also affect the motility of the sperm, making it more difficult to achieve the goal of the reproductive process (Beerwah Dental, 2020).
References
Singh, V., Nettemu, S., Nettem, S., Hosadurga, R., & Nayak, S. (2017). Oral health and erectile dysfunction. Journal Of Human Reproductive Sciences, 10(3), 162. https://doi.org/10.4103/jhrs.jhrs_87_17
Beerwah Dental. (August 4, 2020). Can dental hygiene affect fertility?. Beerwah Dental. Retrieved from: https://beerwahdental.com.au/can-dental-hygiene-affect-fertility/
This is an interesting topic to discuss. a lot of useful information. I did not know that the Male reproductive system could affect oral health and gums. I guess we are always learning new things. Same with Hanna and Alexis, I started looking for more information on this, but this is a type of information that I am not comfortable disclosing or sharing, or providing to my clients. but it is interesting.
if this is true for persons with periodontal conditions can have low sperm count, would it be also possible for persons with low sperm count to have periodontal disease?
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