The
use of chewing gum in pregnant women reduces the risk of premature birth,
research says. The African country of Malawi has one of the highest rates of
premature birth in the world.
Pregnant
women using a specific chewing gum reduced the rate of premature birth by 24%. This
was revealed in a joint study by Baylor College of Medicine and Texas
Children’s Hospital in the United States.
Research
has shown that the reduction in premature birth rates is due to the use of
chewing gum to improve oral health. According to research, the use of
sugar-free xylitol-based chewing gum reduces the risk of gum disease and this
disease is associated with premature birth.
Chewing
This Gum May Lower Risk of Preterm Birth
Premature
birth is one of the leading causes of death in children under 5 years of age
and is associated with several medical problems.
In
Malawi, one in five babies is born between 26 and 37 weeks of gestation, and
this is a major problem there, which is why it was chosen for the study.
Previous
research reports have also found a link between gum disease and premature birth
or low birth weight, but there has been no improvement in 11 trials.
Xylitol
is a natural prebiotic found in fruits and vegetables and its frequent use
significantly reduces the number of harmful bacteria in the mouth. This
ingredient is also used in many chewing gum.
The
study lasted for years, and preliminary research found that xylitol can reduce
tooth decay and edema. More than 10,000 women were included in the study and
were divided into two groups.
Of
these, 4029 women’s oral health was analyzed at the beginning of the study, and
920 were reviewed after the research.
The
4329 who were used twice a day for specific chewing gum had a birth rate of
12.6% before 37 weeks of gestation, compared to 16.5% in the control group, a
decrease of 24%.
No
significant difference was found between stillbirth or newborn death in both
groups. But researchers found that chewing gum significantly reduced gum
disease. The results of the study were presented at a conference of the Society
for Maternal-Fetal Medicine.
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