Do you have Dental Health Educators on your breastfeeding promotion
alliances?

Here, in Saskatchewan, one member of the Public Health team are Dental
Health Educators.  One of them sits on our provincial Breastfeeding
Committee for Saskatchewan.

I recently worked with our rep, Darren Berg, as he wrote a short article
about the importance of breastfeeding to dental health, for the dental
health newsletter.  He highlighted its impact on formation of the oral
cavity, and that it causes fewer cavities that other foods or liquids.

In the process of drafting this article, we had quite a long conversation
about how breastfeeding is of major importance to dental health (he was the
one who first brought Dr. Palmer's site to the committee's and my
attention).

I encourage you to consider seeking out and inviting these persons to join
your committees.  (if you have them in your community health programs).

I can't help but pass on this new research that he pointed out to me - of
course we can see how reduced premature birth can improve breastfeeding
outcomes.  He says that improved dental health for mothers would also reduce
the instance of the strep mutans (cavity-causing bug) to be passed on to
babies from moms through pacifier mouth cleaning, or food pre-chewing.

Scaling and root planning, a nonsurgical dental procedure, may reduce the
risk of premature birth by as much as 84% in women who are less than 35
weeks pregnant. Periodontal infections increase the levels of prostaglandin
and tumor necrosis factor molecules that induce labor. The procedure entails
cleaning of the tooth-root surfaces to remove plaque and tartar from
periodontal pockets and smoothing the root to remove bacterial toxins.
- Journal of Periodontology, August 2003

Janice Reynolds
Consumer Rep. on the Breastfeeding Committee for Saskatchewan.

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