By Kay Quinn , St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 23, 2007

Your oral health may be the last thing on your mind when you find out you''re expecting a baby. But maybe it should become just as important as regular prenatal care.

An area doctor wants to see whether there''s a direct link between regular brushing and flossing, and a reduced rate of preterm delivery and babies with low birth weights. She''s hoping results of her research study will add evidence to a question medical research has, so far, been unable to answer definitively.

"There have been a number of studies that have demonstrated a strong association between dental health and preterm delivery or low-birth-weight babies," said Dr. Nancy Cibulka, an associate professor in nursing at Maryville University, and an advanced practice nurse at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. "There have also been a few studies that have not shown that association."

Cibulka and her colleagues at the OB-GYN clinic at Barnes-Jewish Hospital hope to enroll 200 women in the study, all in the first half of their pregnancies, and all patients at the OB-GYN clinic at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. The clinic primarily serves low-income patients on Medicaid.

Shante Ware, 21, is expecting a baby in September and decided to volunteer.

"I didn''t think you had to worry about your teeth while you were pregnant," said Ware. "That''s like the last thing that was on my mind while I''m pregnant."

The link between oral health and healthy pregnancy, according to Cibulka, can be traced to a general theory about gum disease and health.

"When an inflammatory process takes place, that not only affects the mouth, but it affects the entire body," Cibulka said.

For example, the inflammation associated with gum disease has also been linked to increased rates of heart disease.

Half of Cibulka''s study volunteers will fill out a questionnaire about their oral-health practices early in the pregnancy, and they''ll repeat that questionnaire about a month before their babies are born.

The remaining patients will serve as a control group. They will fill out the questionnaire, watch a video on the importance of oral health, meet with a health-care professional about regular brushing and flossing, and have an appointment made for them at a dental clinic.

Ware is in the control group.

At the end of the study, Cibulka and her colleagues will look at birth outcomes to calculate which pregnancies went to term and how many babies were born early or with complications.

"I don''t know whether we''ll find a reduced rate of preterm delivery and low-birth-weight babies," Cibulka said. "We know that, even if we don''t find those exciting findings about reducing preterm birth, at least we will have improved oral health and overall health for our patients and also that mothers who are educated about dental health practices are more likely to pass that on to their children."

For information about the study, call 314-454-7882.