Periodontal health in mothers of preterm and term infants.
OBJECTIVE
Recent studies have suggested that chronic periodontitis may induce an inflammatory response which can cause premature delivery. This study was designed to assess the association between periodontal health and preterm labor in Iranian female population.


METHODS
In this case-control study, 201 pregnant women without systemic disease or other risk factors for preterm labor were chosen. The control group (n = 99) had term labor (infants > or =37 weeks) and the case group (n = 102) had preterm labor (infants < 37 weeks). Bleeding index, pocket depth and debris index were measured.


RESULTS
The data of bleeding index (cases, 0.64 +/- 0.38; controls, 0.57 +/- 0.35), probing depth (cases, 2.80 +/- 0.30; controls, 1.63 +/- 0.23) and debris index (cases, 1.38 +/- 0.67; controls, 0.81 +/- 0.38) revealed a statistically significant difference between the two groups (p < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
According to the findings of this study, there is a noticeable relationship between periodontal health and duration of pregnancy; periodontal disease could be a risk factor for preterm labor. Oral hygiene is strongly recommended to be included in prenatal care.
Zadeh-Modarres
Shahrzad
S
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mahdieh Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. ocrt@sina.tums.ac.ir <ocrt@sina.tums.ac.ir>
Amooian
Babak
B
Bayat-Movahed
Saeed
S
Mohamadi
Mansoureh
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D007492:Iran / Q000453:epidemiology; D009035:Mothers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007752:Obstetric Labor, Premature / Q000453:epidemiology; D009909:Oral Health; D010510:Periodontal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010512:Periodontal Index; D011247:Pregnancy; D012307:Risk Factors