Periodontal Disease as a Risk Factor for Preeclampsia

Preeclampsia is a unique idiopathic syndrome in human pregnancy that can involve almost all organ systems.. The aim of the present study was to compare the periodontal diseases between the preeclamptic and normal pregnant women in order to find a possible risk factor relationship.. This case-control study was performed on 200 pregnant women, with maternal age ≤ 35 years and gestational age 20 weeks with singleton pregnancies. Of these, 100 women were preeclamptic with proteinuria and blood pressure ≥ 140/90 and 100 women with normal blood pressure in the control group. Oral examination was performed on all women by a dentist for detection of periodontal diseases. Gingivitis and periodontitis were diagnosed based on the American Academy of Periodontology (AAP)/American Dental Association (ADA) classification, using the measurement method of Ramfjord. The preeclamptic women were then sub-classified into mild and moderate and comparisons were made between all groups.. The mean maternal age, BMI, neonatal birth weights and gestational age at delivery were not significantly different between the preeclamptic and normal groups. There was a significant association between preeclampsia and periodontal diseases (P 0.01). The mean number of involved teeth (P 0.001) and the mean pocket depth (P = 0.04) were higher among the preeclamptic group. Gingivitis was more frequent among the cases with mild (56.8%) compared to (31.6%) in the severe preeclamptic group (P = 0.04). Periodontitis was more prevalent among the cases with severe preeclampsia which was not statistically significant. The mean neonatal birth weight was significantly lower in the group with severe preeclampsia (P < 0.01).. There was a significant association between preeclampsia and periodontal diseases. The number of involved teeth and pocket depth were higher among the preeclamptic mothers compared to normal pregnant women..