Chewing Gum and Pregnancy
Sugarless Gum May Decrease the Chances of Premature Birth
The results of a study carried out by researchers at Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas are finally here, and the results reinforce what dentists have been telling us forever: the mouth is the gateway to health.
The Study
The researchers looked at more than 10,000 pregnant women in Malawi, which was chosen because it has the highest rate of premature births in the world. All of the women, who were either before or at their 20th week of pregnancy, were given access to dental checkups. Half of the women were given advice on proper dental care. The other half were given the same advice and also a supply of sugarless gum. They were instructed to chew the gum for 10 minutes in the morning and again for 10 minutes in the evening. All of the women were offered dental checks four weeks after they delivered their baby.
The Results
The results showed that the preterm birth rate was 13% for the gum chewers, but it was 17% for those that didn’t chew gum. In other words, for every 26 women who were given both dental advice and gum to chew, one preterm birth was prevented.
