Offenbacher Receives a National Award

Steven Offenbacher, DDS, PhD, professor in periodontology at the UNC School of Dentistry, received a Special Impact Award from the National Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition for his research that links oral health and pre-term, low-birth weight babies. The awards ceremony was held at a luncheon May 15, 2001 at the Cannon House Office Building on Capitol Hill with Congressman David Price presenting the award to Offenbacher.

Offenbacher along with U.S. Senator Tom Dashele, and Heidi Murkoff of "What to Expect When You're Expecting" received awards. The awards recognize exemplary efforts in maternal and child health. The 2001 awards focus on individuals and organizations that are working to assure the best possible start for infants through research, support and education on pregnancy and related issues.

Research conducted by the UNC School of Dentistry investigators in collaboration with medical colleagues both at UNC-CH and Duke have provided new evidence that mothers with periodontal disease are at increased risk for premature births and neonatal complications. Studies are currently underway to learn whether treating periodontitis in pregnant women can reduce the risk for premature birth. The new findings suggest that perhaps as many as one in five premature babies may have been a consequence of maternal periodontal infection.

Studies show that during pregnancy the mother's gum infection can spread to the unborn fetus and cause inflammation and premature delivery. The babies of mothers with gum disease are smaller and more premature, even when considering the contribution of other important maternal risk factors such as smoking, vaginal infections and other factors known to increase the risk of pregnancy complications. These babies are also at greater risk for neonatal complications after birth, perhaps due to the fact that they were exposed to an infection while in the mother.

The National Healthy Mothers Health Babies Coalition is a nonprofit organization providing an innovative forum for collaborative partnerships of public and private organizations, employers, policymakers and consumers to promote and improve service that foster health mothers healthy babies and healthy families. Its network of 200 members includes 79 state and local coalitions and organizations such as the March of Dimes, the American Academy of Pediatrics and National Organizations on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.

Last modified: