Brushing Your Teeth May Prevent Preterm Birth

Previously undiscovered bacteria usually found in the mouth could be responsible for up to 80 percent of early preterm labors, estimate doctors from Case Western Reserve and Yale Universities in a new study.

The research could help doctors prevent preterm births by encouraging oral hygiene [dental hygiene] or stop early labor from developing by prescribing targeted antibiotics.

“The earlier the woman goes into preterm labor, the higher the chance that she will be infected,” said Yiping Han, a doctor at Case Western University and the first author on the study.

Most human pregnancies last about 40 weeks. A birth prior to 37 weeks is classified as preterm. About 12 percent of all births in the United States are preterm, a number that has grown by more than 30 percent since 1981 for reasons unknown.

Babies born preterm can face many hurdles: vision and hearing loss, cerebral palsy [cerebral palsy treatment] mental retardation, even death.

Labor itself is still somewhat of a mystery to science, which makes puzzling out preterm labor even more difficult.

Anything from socioeconomic status and race to bacterial infection and genetics have been linked to preterm births, but a definitive cause is still elusive.

Read more at MSNBC

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1. Cerebral Palsy More Likely In Late Preterm Babies
2. Low Birth Weight, Preterm Delivery May Raise Autism Risk
3. Depression During Pregnancy Doubles Risk Of Preterm Birth
4. Previously Unidentified Bacteria May Cause Preterm Birth
5. Antibiotics For Preterm Labor Linked To Cerebral Palsy
6. Were You Born Early? More Chances To Have A Preterm Baby