Association between maternal periodontitis and preterm and/or low birth weight infants in normal pregnancies

Abstract

Objective: To relate the periodontal condition with the presence of periodontal bacteria in pregnant that had babies with preterm delivery or/and low weight at birth (PTLBW).

Methods: We recruited 134 pregnant women without systemic diseases attending at the Gynaecology and Obstetrics Room, from Maternal Provincial Hospital, Córdoba, Argentine. Pregnant were grouped according to the International Classification for a System of Periodontal Disease. A sample from periodontal pocket was extracted to identify Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg), Treponema denticola (Td), Tannerella forsythia (Tf) Prevotella intermedia (Pi) and Agreggatibacter actinomycemcomitans (Aa).

Results: We identified 7 (5%) cases of children born underweight or preterm of mothers diagnosed with Gingivitis, 6 (4%) in Mild Periodontitis and 4 (3%) in Moderate Periodontitis. We estimated that when Pi and/or Aa were not detected in the periodontal pockets of mothers, the infants had more than 129% chance of having normal birth weights (OR 3.47 for Pi and OR and 2.29 for Aa). The average age of the mothers who has PTLBW was 21 ± 3.5. The age showed an association with PTLBW (p < 0.0008).

Conclusions: The presences of periodontal pathogens in periodontal pockets from pregnant with different periodontal status would associate with PTLBW infants when the mothers are young, and the normal term and normal birth weight infant are associated with the absence of periodonto bacteria like Pi and Aa.

• Low birth weight infant
• periodontal pathogens
• periodontitis
• preterm birth

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank all of the patients who participated in the study.

Declaration of interest

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests regarding the publication of this paper.

This work was supported by Science and Technology Secretary of the National University of Cordoba, Argentine (SECyT-UNC).