Severe pregnancy complication (preeclampsia) is associated with greater periodontal destruction.
BACKGROUND
Preeclampsia is a pregnancy-specific disease which is one of the leading causes of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. The etiology of preeclampsia remains elusive. The underlying pathology may be related to a generalized intravascular hyperinflammatory state. Since the placental histopathologic lesions of acute atherosis, seen in preeclampsia, bear resemblance to those seen in atherosclerosis, and recent evidence links atherosclerosis with chronic infection, we decided to investigate a possible link between preeclampsia and chronic periodontal infection.


METHODS
Thirty primigravidas, 15 suffering from preeclampsia, had full mouth periodontal examinations. Gingival crevicular fluid samples were taken for laboratory immunological assessment. Similar examination and sampling were performed in 15 age- and maternal status-matched controls.


RESULTS
Significantly higher periodontal probing depth and clinical attachment level scores were found in the preeclamptic group compared with controls (2.98 versus 2.11 and 3.33 versus 2.30, respectively). Plaque index, gingival index, and mean gingival overgrowth scores were very similar in both groups. Furthermore, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, and interleukin (IL)-1beta levels were all significantly higher in the preeclamptic group (247.4 ngr/sample versus 89.1 ngr/sample, 8.03 pgr/sample versus 4.03 pgr/sample, and 175.7 pgr/sample versus 62.2 pgr/sample, respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
The above results suggest a possible association between periodontal inflammation and preeclampsia.
Oettinger-Barak
Orit
O
Rambam Medical Center, Haifa, Israel. o_o-barak@rambam.health.gov.il
Barak
Shlomi
S
Ohel
Gonen
G
Oettinger
Moshe
M
Kreutzer
Harald
H
Peled
Micha
M
Machtei
Eli E
EE
D015232:Dinoprostone / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D005883:Gingival Crevicular Fluid / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000032:analysis; D010510:Periodontal Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology; D011247:Pregnancy; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000032:analysis
D007375:Interleukin-1; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D015232:Dinoprostone