Purpose: This cross-sectional case-control study of post-partum women aimed to estimate whether maternal periodontitis was a predictive contributor to preterm birth and to identify other risk factors associated with preterm birth in our target population.
Methods: The case group included women who delivered preterm (74 cases) and the control group included women who had a normal term delivery (120 controls). Medical records, a 16-item questionnaire, and a full-mouth periodontal examination were used to collect information about socio-demographic characteristics, general health problems, birth-related information, behavioral factors and periodontal status. Logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the strength of the relationship between predictors and the categorical outcome variable, preterm birth.
Results: The bivariate analysis revealed the significant associations between preterm birth and socio-demographic factors (educational level, p = 0.003), antepartum smoking habit (p = 0.001) and birth weight lower than 2500 g (p < 0.001). The multivariate analysis highlighted that the presence of post-partum maternal periodontitis and its severity remained independent risk factors of preterm birth in the presence of antepartum smoking habit and route of delivery [adjusted OR 2.26, 95% CI (1.06; 4.82), respectively, OR 3.46, 95% CI (1.08; 11.15)].
Conclusion: Post-partum maternal periodontal disease and its severity might, in part, be considered as contributor to preterm deliveries before 37 weeks of gestation.
Keywords: Clinical attachment loss; Periodontal disease; Periodontitis; Preterm birth; Probing depth.