Women trying for a baby should pay attention to their teeth, research suggests.

A study has found that gum disease can increase the time it takes to conceive.

On average, women with gum infections took just over seven months to get pregnant – two months longer than it took women with healthy gums.

Gum disease also increased the likelihood of waiting more than a year to become pregnant, a recognised sign of impaired fertility. This was especially true of non-Caucasian women.

Periodontal, or gum, disease is caused by mouth bacteria which inflame and erode tissue surrounding the teeth.

The inflammatory effects are associated with wider health issues, including heart disease, diabetes, miscarriage and premature birth.

Gum disease can be prevented by regular brushing and flossing of the teeth.

Results from the latest research were presented at the annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryo-logy (Eshre) in Stockholm.

Scientists analysed data on pregnancy planning and outcomes from more than 3,000 women taking part in an Australian study called “Smile”.

Lead researcher Roger Hart, professor from the University of Western Australia in Perth, said: “All women about to plan for a family should be encouraged to see their general practitioner to ensure that they are as healthy as possible before trying to conceive, and so that they can be given appropriate lifestyle advice with respect to weight loss, diet and assistance with stopping smoking and drinking, as well as the commencement of folic acid supplements.

“Additionally, it now appears that all women should also be encouraged to see their dentist to have any gum disease treated before trying to conceive. It is easily treated, usually involving no more than four dental visits.”

Out of a total of 3,416 women, 26 per cent were found to have gum disease.

The study found that 13.9 per cent of non-Caucasian women with gum disease took over a year to get pregnant, compared with 6.2 per cent of all women without gum disease.

For Caucasian women the same trend applied but was much less pronounced. A total of 8.6 per cent of Caucasian women with gum disease waited more than a year to conceive.

Other factors that increased the time to pregnancy included being older, excess weight and smoking.

“Our data suggest that the presence of periodontal disease is a modifiable risk factor, which can increase a woman’s time to conception, particularly for non-Caucasians,” said Prof. Hart. “It exerts a negative influence on fertility that is of the same order of magnitude as obesity.

“This study also confirms other known negative influences on time to conception for a woman; these include being over 35 years of age, being overweight or obese, and being a smoker. There was no correlation between the time it took to become pregnant and the socio-economic status of the woman.”