Enamel development and pregnancy complications

You’ve heard that oral health is closely related to total body health, but did you know that the condition of your child’s enamel is dependent upon your healthy pregnancy? New research links enamel problems with pregnancy complications including low birth weight babies.

Researcher Bertha Chavez Gonzalez of Universidade de Minas Gerias in Lima, Peru presented a study titled “Birth Weight and Pregnancy Complications Associated With the Enamel Defects.” Her study included 1,309 kindergarten-aged children and aimed to assess the association between birth weight and severity of defects development of enamel. The children’s mothers answered a questionnaire regarding complications during pregnancy while the children’s enamel was classified as health or demonstrating defects in development.

After controlling for the child’s gender, birth weight, prematurity, age of the mother during pregnancy, and complications during pregnancy, the role of pregnancy complications and low birth weight was shown to negatively impact enamel development in the five year old children.

In preparing to care for your children’s oral health, you can begin by taking care of your own health! A healthy pregnancy for you means healthier oral development for your children.