Maternal periodontal disease and preterm low birthweight: Case-control study

Periodontal disease has been suggested to be an important risk factor for preterm low birthweight (PLBW). Here we report a case-control study of 236 cases (infants <37 wks and weighing <2499 236 cases (infants <37 wks and weighing <2499 g) and a daily random sample of 507 controls (greater than or equal to 38 wks and weighing greater than or equal to 2500 g). Clinical periodontal indices were measured on the labor wards. Associated risk factors for periodontal disease and PLBW were ascertained by means of a structured questionnaire and maternity notes. The risk for PLBW decreased with increasing pocket depth (odds ratio [OR] 0.83, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.68 to 1.00). After adjustment for maternal age, ethnicity, maternal education, smoking, alcohol consumption, infections, and hypertension during pregnancy, this decreased further (OR 0.78, 95% CI 0.64 to 0.99). We found no evidence for an association between PLBW and periodontal disease. Our results do not support a specific drive to improve periodontal health of pregnant women as a means of improving pregnancy outcomes.