Influence of Infection and Inflammation of Periodontal Tissues on the Establishment of Pregnancy: A Basic Study to Elucidate the Mechanism

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21K16992
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 57030:Conservative dentistry-related
• Research Institution: Okayama University
• Principal Investigator: Sako Hidefumi 岡山大学, 大学病院, 医員 (10866495)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 歯周炎 / 不妊

Outline of Final Research Achievements

With the recent trend of late marriages, the number of patients seeking fertility treatment is increasing. Recently, it has been reported that periodontal infection/inflammation may have a negative effect on the viability of pregnancy, and the possibility of periodontal disease as a new risk factor for infertility has been proposed. In this study, I investigated the effects of periodontal infection/inflammation on pregnancy establishment using a mouse ligature-induced periodontitis model. The results of this study showed that, 1) the number of newborn births and birth weight were significantly decreased in the periodontitis mouse group, and 2) pre-eclamptic uterine tissue hypertrophy and changes in sex hormone receptor expression were observed. These results suggest that periodontal infection/inflammation may induce changes in the uterine tissue by adversely affecting the uterine tissue, thereby creating an infertile environment.

Free Research Field

歯科保存学分野

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究成果は，歯周感染・炎症が子宮組織の変化を惹起し，不妊環境を誘発する可能性を示唆した。今後は，歯周感染・炎症が子宮に及ぼす影響の分子メカニズムをさらに検討していくことが重要であると考える。そして，原因不明不妊に悩むカップルの一助になることが期待される。