Influence of Physical Activity During Pregnancy and Child Oral Health

Objectives: Our previous research has found improved cardiac autonomic health in children exposed to maternal exercise in utero. Interestingly, there is a link between heart health and oral health. Furthermore, similar growth factors stimulate tooth development as well as the cardiac autonomic development. Therefore, examination of the oral health and tooth development may provide an opportunity to examine the relationship further between exercise during pregnancy and child health and development. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of exercise during pregnancy on child oral health and development. We hypothesized that women who exercised during pregnancy would have children with decreased dental disease severity, decreased caries risk, and increased tooth maturation.
Methods: Women with children 6 years old or younger seen as patients of record were asked to participate in the study. Women completed a physical activity questionnaire inquiring about activities while they were pregnant with their child. Based on these responses, women were classified as exercisers, active controls, or controls. Dental/oral examinations were routine and providers were blinded to study participation. Using multiple ANOVAs, we looked for differences in child dental/oral measures between the 3 maternal groups.
Results: Data from 59 mother:child pairs was analyzed. No significant differences were found between groups in child dental disease severity or dental carries risk. We found significantly (p=0.02, C.I. 0.28-2.68) increased tooth maturity and development as a function of child’s age and maternal exercise.
Conclusions: The data suggests a physiological link exists between child dental maturity and maternal activity during pregnancy. However, postnatal behaviors may limit associations between exercise during pregnancy and dental disease severity and caries risk of offspring. Dental providers should continue to focus on quality healthcare and habits during the pregnancy as well as postpartum behaviors to improve childhood oral health.