title: Possible association between mother's periodontal status and preterm delivery.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A case-control study was undertaken to detect whether initial chronic localized periodontitis could be a risk factor for preterm birth (PB) and foetal growth restriction.
  
  
  METHODS
  A PB case was defined if a patient had a threatening premature event during pregnancy pre-term premature rupture of membranes, or spontaneous pre-term delivery, before the 37th week of pregnancy, and/or the weight of the newborn was <2500 g. Into the PB (case) group, 77 women were allocated, while 84 were included in the control group, all of whom had delivery after the 37th gestational week and with a newborn weighing >or=2500 g.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A significant association was found between PB and initial chronic localized periodontitis, the criteria being bleeding at >or=50% of the examined teeth and having at least at one site at >or=4 mm probing depth (p=0.0001). The adjusted odds ratio for initial chronic localized periodontitis was 3.32, 95% CI: 1.64-6.69. The average weight of newborns of mothers with periodontitis was significantly less than that of the women without periodontitis (p=0.002).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results support the hypothesis that initial chronic localized periodontitis of pregnant women could lead to PB, and birth-weight reduction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dentistry and Oral Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary. radnai@stoma.szote.u-szeged.hu
authors.forename: Márta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Radnai
authors.forename: István
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Gorzó
authors.forename: Edit
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Urbán
authors.forename: József
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Eller
authors.forename: Tibor
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Novák
authors.forename: Attila
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pál
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001724:Birth Weight; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003774:Dental Plaque Index; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D005317:Fetal Growth Retardation / Q000209:etiology; D005322:Premature Rupture of Fetal Membranes / Q000209:etiology; D005865:Gestational Age; D005884:Gingival Hemorrhage / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D010514:Periodontal Pocket / Q000150:complications; D010518:Periodontitis / Q000150:complications*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications; D047928:Premature Birth / Q000209:etiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012923:Social Class