Gum Disease

Many pregnant people don't get the dental care they need, even though it's safe and important. The CHEER Study offers free dental check-ups, cleanings, and supplies to help participants take care of their teeth and gums during pregnancy. The purpose of this research study is to compare two types of noninvasive oral health interventions to evaluate their effectiveness. We want to learn if one method is more effective in supporting oral health and improving pregnancy outcomes. There are two aims of this study: Aim 1: To evaluate whether a structured oral health intervention reduces periodontal inflammation during pregnancy and postpartum in pregnant people with indicators of periodontal disease. Aim 2: To assess whether a structured oral health intervention is associated with changes in oral health behaviors or birth outcomes in pregnant people with periodontal disease.

The overall aims of this project are to undertake a women's health screening clinic on oral health and systemic health, linking the oral microbiome to hormonal status (menopause); The follow quantitative and qualitative markers of oral health will be used: * Salivary and systemic female hormone status * Systemic/cardiovascular health markers, such as blood pressure, cholesterol and blood glucose * Clinical oral health variables (markers of plaque and gum disease) * Physiological and biochemical markers, such as salivary nitrate and nitrite * Oral microbiome * Breath analysis (volatile sulphur comounds) * Perceptions of mouth discomfort

Diabetes is a systemic condition characterized by elevated blood glucose levels and is associated with multiple long-term complications. This systemic disease is mutually linked to inflammatory gum diseases through circulating inflammatory mediators. Controlling inflammatory gum diseases by maintaining oral hygiene improves blood glucose levels and reduces long-term complications. However, close supervision of good oral hygiene through home care is labor-intensive and expensive. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been used to provide personalized advice on the adequacy of patients' home care (oral hygiene). The investigators hypothesize that the use of AI can improve home care, thereby enhancing both gum health and systemic health, similar to human dental professionals and standardised oral health instructions.

The purpose of this clinical study is to determine the effectiveness of the Erchonia® FX-405 (manufactured by Erchonia Corporation (the Company) in providing a noninvasive adjunctive treatment in combination with periodontal scaling and root planing for improving the treatment of periodontal disease.

Prediabetes is an intermediate stage before the development of diabetes, characterized by elevated blood glucose levels but lower than the diagnostic criteria of diabetes and is associated with multiple long-term complications. This systemic disease is mutually linked to inflammatory gum diseases through circulating inflammatory mediators. Controlling inflammatory gum diseases improves blood glucose levels and reduces long-term complications. While maintaining good oral hygiene through home care is essential for managing inflammatory gum diseases, close supervision of patients' home care is labor-intensive and expensive. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been used to provide personalized advice on the adequacy of patients' home care (oral hygiene). The investigators hypothesize that the use of AI can improve home care, thereby enhancing both gum health and systemic health, similar to human dental professionals.