Impact of Scaling and Periodontal Treatment during Pregnancy on the Risk of Adverse Birth Outcomes

Jhih-Jhen Chen; Dai-Rong Wu; Wei-Szu Lin; I-Chieh Chen; Jeng-Fen Liu; Hui-Ling Chen; Ching-Heng Lin

doi:10.3390/jpm12020137

Impact of Scaling and Periodontal Treatment during Pregnancy on the Risk of Adverse Birth Outcomes

J Pers Med. 2022 Jan 20;12(2):137. doi: 10.3390/jpm12020137.

Authors

Jhih-Jhen Chen¹, Dai-Rong Wu¹, Wei-Szu Lin², I-Chieh Chen², Jeng-Fen Liu^{3

4}, Hui-Ling Chen¹, Ching-Heng Lin^{2

5

6

7

8

9}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Dentistry, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung 40705, Taiwan.
² Department of Medical Research, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung 40705, Taiwan.
³ Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung 40705, Taiwan.
⁴ School of Dentistry, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei 11221, Taiwan.
⁵ Department of Health Care Management, National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Sciences, Taipei112303, Taiwan.
⁶ Department of Industrial Engineering and Enterprise Information, Tunghai University, Taichung 40705, Taiwan.
⁷ Department of Public Health, College of Medicine, Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City 242062, Taiwan.
⁸ Institute of Public Health and Community Medicine Research Center, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei 11221, Taiwan.
⁹ Department of Medical Research, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 40402, Taiwan.

Abstract

Background: Adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs) are associated with periodontal disease owing to the induction of a chronic systemic inflammatory response. Hence, knowledge of periodontal status during pregnancy is important in order to reduce the risk of APOs. The aim of this study was to compare the risk of APOs in women with and without periodontal disease to ascertain whether regular scaling performed prior to pregnancy improves the risk of APOs.

Method: This case-control study enrolled1,386,887 pregnant women from the National Health Insurance Research Database who gave birth to their first child between 1 January 2004 and 31 December 2014. The study population included mothers who gave birth to low birth weight (LBW) and non-LBW newborns, totaling 86,958 and 1,299,929, respectively. Scaling and periodontal emergency treatment during and before pregnancy were assessed. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the associations between periodontal treatment and LBW risk.

Results: Compared with the comparison cohort, the pregnant women who didnot have periodontal emergency treatment or scaling treatment during pregnancy exhibited a significantly increased risk of LBW than those who had treatment. Women who underwent scaling within the2 years before pregnancy or during pregnancy had a lower risk of delivering a LBW baby (odds ratio (OR), 0.93; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.91-0.94). In the normal group, the mothers who had periodontal emergency treatment within the2 years before pregnancy or during pregnancy had a higher risk of delivering a LBW baby (OR, 1.05; 95% CI, 1.02-1.08). In those who had scaling treatment, a lower risk of delivering a LBW baby was noted (OR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.93-0.97).

Conclusion: The risk of LBW was significantly increased in women who underwent periodontal treatment, and our findings suggested that periodontal disease is an important risk factor for preterm LBW babies in an East Asian population.

Keywords: adverse pregnancy outcomes; low birth weight; periodontal disease; scaling.

Grants and funding

TCVGH-1097328D, TCVGH-NHRI11001, and TCVGH-1107303C/Taichung Veterans General Hospital