title: Birth weight of infants of mothers with aggressive periodontitis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  It was hypothesized that if periodontal infections predispose low birth weights and premature birth, then such outcomes should be apparent when the mother has aggressive periodontitis (AgP).
  
  
  METHODS
  Birth weight data were collected by questionnaire from females with AgP, their periodontally healthy siblings, and unrelated periodontally healthy women. Both prospective and retrospective birth outcome data were used. Because many of the periodontal evaluations were performed after the births, there were incomplete data regarding most of the risk factors for low birth weight. We determined associations between mothers' periodontal diagnoses and clinical variables and the reported birth weights.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were no significant differences in mean birth weights of babies born to control subjects or AgP patients. This was true whether all the births were considered or only those reported <1 or 2 years before periodontal examination. For periodontally healthy controls, 13.2% of babies born to siblings of AgP patients and 12.8% of babies born to unrelated mothers weighed <2,500 g, whereas 9.9% of those born to mothers with generalized AgP and 10.3% of those born to mothers with localized AgP weighed <2,500 g.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Because of the relative rarity of AgP in the population, and attendant difficulties in performing a prospective study of its association with pregnancy outcomes, we used a compromised approach using prospective data as well as weaker retrospective data assuming that disease onset was likely before the births. Our results, within the limitations of this approach, indicate no evidence that AgP in the mother predisposes low birth weights. AgP has many unique biologic characteristics that differentiate it from chronic forms of periodontal disease, and the possible lack of its association with birth weight may be another such characteristic.
authors.affiliation: Department of Periodontics, Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Dentistry, Richmond, VA 23298-0566, USA. haschenk@vcu.edu
authors.forename: Harvey A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Schenkein
authors.forename: Thomas E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Koertge
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sabatini
authors.forename: Carol N
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Brooks
authors.forename: John C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Gunsolley
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D000367:Age Factors; D010520:Aggressive Periodontitis / Q000145:classification / Q000150:complications*; D001724:Birth Weight; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003774:Dental Plaque Index; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D017622:Periodontal Attachment Loss / Q000145:classification; D010512:Periodontal Index; D010514:Periodontal Pocket / Q000145:classification; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012907:Smoking; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D044465:White People; D055815:Young Adult