Pregnancy outcome in relation to oral diseases and attitudes. A multicentric study

Objectives. Periodontal disease could play a role during pregnancy as a source of chronic infection having so the potential to be the direct cause of an adverse effect, both on the mother, the placenta and the fetus. The aim of this study was to determine whether oral health conditions and attitudes correlate with adverse fetal and/or maternal outcomes. Methods. A multi-centric cross-sectional study was designed. 304 women were recruited and examined within 5 days postpartum through a standardised questionnaire and a full oral and periodontal examination. Case subjects (n=62) had premature delivery (n=25) and/or delivered SGA/IUGR (n=25) and/or experienced Preeclampsia /PIH (n=18) or PROM (n=6) during their pregnancies whereas control subjects (n=242) had normal pregnancies, delivered at or around term and had newborns with normal weights. Results. Cases and controls were similar in mean age, birthplace, ethnicity, educational level, smoking habits and in oral hygiene habits. The analyses of the periodontal health and disease variables (bleeding on probing, tooth attachment loss and probing depth score) showed no relevant differences between the two groups. There was no differences in proportion of smoking women in cases and controls (chi square = 0.3, p=0.60). No significant association was observed regarding cases and the level of periodontal disease (chi square for trend =1.19, p=0.27). The mean proportion of periodontal sites probing more than 4 mm observed in the case subjects compared to the controls failed to reach statistical significance. Conclusions. Our preliminary report failed to demonstrate a positive association between periodontal disease and adverse pregnancy outcomes. However, our study population is different from previously reported case-control populations in both demographic factors and the level of periodontal disease. More data need to be collected in order to exclude the proposed potential link between periodontitis and the risk of pregnancy complications. (Supported by the MUR-PRIN 2005 grant).