Pregnant women with poor oral health are more likely to deliver prematurely, researchers report. Their study of nearly 300 women found a significant association between high levels of an oral bacterium, Actinomyces naeslundii genospecies 2 -- associated with tooth decay -- and risk of delivering preterm low birth weight babies. This is the first research to link preterm delivery with oral bacteria other than the bacteria that cause gum disease. The findings add to growing evidence that a woman's oral health affects the health of her newborn. A tenfold increase in bacterial levels was associated with a 60-gram decrease in...