Chlorhexidine use among pregnant women with periodontitis may improve birth outcomes

A team of researchers has published in The Journal Of The American Medical Association explaining the facts & results associated with the use of antimicrobial mouthwash along with the conventional treatment for periodontitis (scaling & root planing) in pregnant women suffering from periodontitis. These observational studies included randomized clinical trials (RCTs). Prenatal periodontitis treated with chlorhexidine mouthwash plus periodontal treatment was associated with a lower risk of preterm birth and low birth weight compared with the control group of pregnant participants who did not receive periodontal treatment or use chlorhexidine mouthwash during pregnancy. Maternal periodontitis is associated with the risk factors such as adverse birth outcomes involving preterm birth & low weight birth has been observed.

The current research focuses on finding out the results in terms of reduced birth outcomes, i.e., preterm birth less than 37 weeks of gestation & low weight birth less than 2500 g, by using chlorhexidine with scaling & root planing treatment. The research was conducted on a larger scale, and the meta-analysis included 12 studies in which 5735 pregnant women participated.

Two groups were constructed for the evaluation under the study i.e-Intervention group, including pregnant women undergoing the conventional treatment of scaling & root planing with/without chlorhexidine mouthwash for periodontitis, and Control groups, including g pregnant women undergoing no therapy for periodontitis.