PERIODONTAL INFECTION AS A POSSIBLE RISK FACTOR FOR PRETERM LOW-BIRTH-WEIGHT

PERIODONTAL DISEASES ARE GRAM-NEGATIVE ANAEROBIC INFECTIONS that can o ccur in women of childbearing age (18 to 34 years). In the present inv estigation we sought to determine whether the prevalence of maternal p eriodontal infection could be associated with preterm low birth weight (PLBW), controlling for known risk factors and potential covariates. A case-control study of 124 pregnant or postpartum mothers was perform ed. PLBW cases were defined as a mother with a birth of less than 2,50 0 g and one or more of the following: gestational age <37 weeks, prete rm labor (PTL), or premature rupture of membranes (FROM). Controls wer e normal birth weight infants (NEW). Assessments included a broad rang e of known obstetric risk factors, such as tobacco use, drug use, alco hol consumption, level of prenatal care, parity, genitourinary infecti ons, and nutrition. Each subject received a periodontal examination to determine clinical attachment level. PLBW cases and primiparous PLBW cases (n = 93) had significantly worse periodontal disease than the re spective NEW controls. Multivariate logistic regression models, contro lling for other risk factors and covariates, demonstrated that periodo ntal disease is a statistically significant risk factor for PLBW with adjusted odds ratios of 7.9 and 7.5 for all PLBW cases and primiparous PLBW cases, respectively. These data indicate that periodontal diseas es represent a previously unrecognized and clinically significant risk factor for preterm low birth weight as a consequence of either PTL or preterm PROM.