Chronic Inflammatory Periodontal Disease in The Context of Immune Response in Pregnancy

Abstract

Introduction: During pregnancy, the immune response undergoes adjustments, mostly aimed at preserving the new being in development. Sex hormones play an important role in this process.
Objective: To describe the immune response in pregnancy and its relationship with the pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory periodontal disease.
Methods: A search of the bibliography published in the last ten years was carried out, both in English and Spanish. Databases and articles were reviewed from SciELO (126), Scopus (31) and Web of Science (101). Differences in immune response mechanisms
against periodontal aggression during pregnancy were related. Estrogens and  progesterone were found to be the most studied sex hormones involved in such changes.
Conclusions: The scientific evidence points to a real decrease in the immune defense mechanisms in the periodontal tissues in close relation to the increases in the hormones estrogen and progesterone in pregnancy. The immunosuppression recorded in pregnant
women emphasizes the importance of rigorous control of the risk factors of the disease throughout the gestational period, and prior to it.