Maternal Periodontal Disease as a Potential Risk Factor for Preterm Birth and Low Birth Weight

Periodontal disease may cause adverse pregnancy outcomes such as low birth weight (LBW) or preterm birth (PTB). In the present study, mothers with one of these two delivery complications were analyzed regarding presence/absence of periodontal disease as a possible risk factor in comparison with related medical risk factors.  

In this cross-sectional study, the sample included 50 women admitted to Afzalipour Hospital in Kerman. All mothers had a history of PTB or LBW in their recent delivery. Medical risk factors including intra -uterine growth restriction (IUGR), premature rupture of the amniotic membrane (PROM) and vaginal bleeding in addition to periodontal parameters including bleeding on probing (BOP), plaque index (PI) and attachment loss were recorded. Descriptive indices, Spearman’s coefficient, logistic regression model, and receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve were used for data analysis.

All patients had various forms of periodontal involvement; 86% had periodontitis. The frequency of periodontitis was significantly higher than medical risk factors (P=0.024). The area under the curve (AUC) demonstrated higher discriminating power for maternal periodontal parameters in comparison with medical risk factors.

Maternal periodontal disease appears to be an independent risk factor for PTB and LBW.