Dental Medicine

noticeable from the second month of gestation, usually occur in association with poor oral hygiene and local irritants, such as in the bacterial flora of plaque;3 pregnancy-associated hormonal and vascular changes exaggerate the inflammatory response to local irritants. Women with untreated gingival disease during pregnancy will most likely have gingival disease after pregnancy, although it may decrease in severity.3 Women taking oral contraceptives, which hormonally mimic pregnancy by increasing levels of estrogen and progesterone, may also experience oral health concerns such as greater gingival inflammation caused by an exaggerated response to plaque.2 Periodontal Disease and Preterm Birth Remote sites of infection have been postulated t