0 items ($0.00)
Please wait...
ARTICLESSep 28, 2010
Nov 22, 2010
April 2013 (7)
March 2013 (7)
February 2013 (9)
January 2013 (11)
December 2012 (8)
November 2012 (10)
October 2012 (9)
September 2012 (7)
August 2012 (7)
July 2012 (13)
June 2012 (9)
May 2012 (13)
April 2012 (12)
March 2012 (10)
February 2012 (12)
January 2012 (11)
December 2011 (12)
November 2011 (13)
October 2011 (12)
September 2011 (10)
August 2011 (15)
July 2011 (19)
June 2011 (17)
May 2011 (17)
April 2011 (18)
March 2011 (21)
February 2011 (20)
January 2011 (19)
December 2010 (18)
November 2010 (13)
October 2010 (14)
September 2010 (14)
August 2010 (12)
July 2010 (12)
June 2010 (6)
The bacteria that cause bad breath, gum disease and tooth decay are multitudinous, with several studies suggesting that those strains found in the mouth number in the hundreds. That said, many of these microbes can be found elsewhere in the body, too, including in the stomach, gastrointestinal tract and - according to recent research - the womb.
A study published in the Journal of Periodontology found that 30 percent of pregnant women who had gone into labor were found to have the microorganism Porphyromonas gingivalis living in the amniotic fluid within the placenta.
P. gingivalis is a strain of bacteria commonly associated with periodontal disease, a serious oral condition in which the gums pull away from the teeth, which gradually rot and fall out.
While the study's authors, who hailed from the University of Chile, did not suggest that P. gingivalis's presence causes or contributes to premature labor, they noted that "it is still important for women to pay special attention to their oral health during pregnancy," potentially by using oral care probiotics or other specialty breath fresheners that replace unhealthy bacteria with less harmful varieties.
