Dental Care During Pregnancy

Hey everyone,

I was just reading some of the latest findings/summaries in the Ontario Dentist Journal about pregnancy and dental care. Some interesting points:

1. 50% of women experience gingivitis during pregnancy due to increased hormone production
2. Roughly half of those women do not seek dental care
3. A study of 823 women at 13-21 weeks did not show any adverse fetal outcomes when periodontal disease was treated by scaling and root planing using local anaesthetic
4. Local anaesthetics are generally safe during pregnancy. However proper aspiration is particularly important to prevent inadvertent intravascular injection
5. Health Canada recommends that amalgam fillings should not be placed or removed during pregnancy. This approach is conservative since studies have failed to show an increased incidence of birth defects, spontaneous abortions, neurologic or infertility problems.
6. Prenatal x-rays are a small dose of radiation that has not been shown to be associated with any adverse fetal abnormalities

Source: Feferman I, Ontario Dentist, OD Healthline, Sept 2009, Vol 86, No7, pg 16-17.

Hans Skariah, B.Sc., DMD
Promenade Court Dental Health Group in Mississauga
2233 Hurontario St., Mississauga, ON, Canada
(1/2 km north of the QEW in the Dome Building)
(905) 273-7100