Aim: To determine any association between pre-term low birth weight (PTLBW) neonates and periodontal disease during the mother's pregnancy.
Design: A multi-centered prospective case cohort study.
Setting: Ante-natal clinics at the Colonial War Memorial and Lautoka Hospitals, Fiji from 1st January to 30th June 2004.
Participants: 670 multiethnic pregnant women.
Methods: Participants were interviewed to identify confounding variables--medical conditions, smoking, alcohol consumption, maternal age and history of preterm birth. Oral examination was conducted and included the Community Periodontal Index of Treatment Needs (CPITN). Delivery outcome was recorded for each woman.
Results: The mean age of participants was 25.80 +/- 5.56 years. 1.9% (n=13) women delivered preterm babies. More than 50% of this group displayed moderate to severe periodontitis compared with 13% of women who had a normal delivery. Preterm birth was also associated with the mother having had a previous preterm birth and who was more likely to be Indo-Fijian (p < 0.01). There was no significant association with where the mother lived; however, rural women with PTLBW babies had more severe periodontal disease (p = 0.0001).
Conclusion: There is a highly significant association between pre-term birth and moderate to severe periodontal disease (p = 0.0001).