title: Periodontal status as predictor of prematurity and low birth weight.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective was to verify the relation between periodontal status and prematurity/low birth weight.
  
  
  METHODS
  a case control study of 211 women, 44 being mothers of children born with weight below 2.500g or gestational age of less than 37 weeks (case group) and 177 mothers of children born with weight of over 2.500g or more and gestational age of 37 weeks or more (control group). The women were invited to reply to a questionnaire during the interview. A single dentist performed a complete periodontal exam in the oral cavity of each participant, including: probing depth, recession, plaque index, bleeding on probing, and clinical attachment loss measurements. Descriptive analysis of the study variables was performed and the statistical significance was calculated at 5%, using the chi-squared test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was no statistically significant difference in the clinical parameters between the groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings showed no association between periodontal status and prematurity/low birth weight.
authors.affiliation: Department of Periodontics, Feira de Santana State University, Bahia, Brazil. isuzart@gmail.com
authors.forename: Isaac S
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Gomes-Filho
authors.forename: Simone S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: da Cruz
authors.forename: Edson J C
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Rezende
authors.forename: Bruno B de B
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: da Silveira
authors.forename: Soraya C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Trindade
authors.forename: Johelle S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Passos
authors.forename: Camila O T
authors.initials: CO
authors.lastname: de Freitas
authors.forename: Eneida M M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Cerqueira
authors.forename: Carlos Antonio
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: de Souza Teles Santos
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D001724:Birth Weight; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003774:Dental Plaque Index; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D005884:Gingival Hemorrhage / Q000145:classification; D005889:Gingival Recession / Q000145:classification; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D008019:Life Style; D017622:Periodontal Attachment Loss / Q000145:classification; D010512:Periodontal Index; D010514:Periodontal Pocket / Q000145:classification; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012907:Smoking; D012923:Social Class