Is there any association between periodontitis and preterm low birth weight?

J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med. 2010 Nov;23(11):1288-93. doi: 10.3109/14767051003615467.

Abstract

Objective: To estimate the association between periodontitis (PD) and preterm low birth weight (LBW).

Study design: Observational study in a University clinical setting on a population of 120 pregnant women.

Results: One specialist in periodontics examined all the patients. Two thresholds for definition of PD were used, which detected respectively 29 women (24%) and 4 (3%) as affected by the pathology. Six patients were lost to follow-up. Out of the remaining 114, 1 had an abortion, while 20 (17%) delivered pre-term. Eleven per cent of all women delivered low-weight babies. Ten women (9%) delivered preterm LBW babies. No association was detected between any of the two definitions of PD and any of the adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Conclusion: This study was unable to provide evidence of association between PD and preterm LBW.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Female
  • Gestational Age
  • Humans
  • Infant, Low Birth Weight*
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Male
  • Periodontitis / complications*
  • Periodontitis / epidemiology*
  • Periodontitis / ethnology
  • Pregnancy
  • Pregnancy Complications / epidemiology*
  • Pregnancy Complications / ethnology
  • Premature Birth / epidemiology*
  • Premature Birth / ethnology
  • Premature Birth / etiology*
  • Socioeconomic Factors
  • Young Adult