title: Association between early preterm birth and periodontitis according to USA and European consensus definitions.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Prospective case-control study assessing the association between maternal periodontitis according to the recently issued USA and European consensus definitions and early preterm delivery (<35 weeks gestation). Cases were women delivering between 22 and 34(6/7) weeks of gestation (n = 84) and controls were women delivering at term (≥ 37 weeks) (n = 345).
  
  
  METHODS
  Periodontal examination at the immediate postpartum period identified periodontitis according to both consensus definitions. A multivariate logistic model was used to assess the association between early preterm delivery and the presence of periodontitis adjusted for confounders.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All women had periodontitis by the European consensus definitions. When using the USA definitions, more cases had severe periodontitis than controls (34.5% vs. 17.72%); p = 0.003. After adjustment for main confounders, the association between severe (OR: 2.38; 95% CI: 1.36-4.14) periodontitis and early preterm delivery persisted. The only other independent factor associated with early preterm delivery was vaginal bleeding during pregnancy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Early preterm delivery is associated with periodontitis when the USA consensus definitions are used. The European definitions revealed inadequate for the study population because of the lack of discrimination power.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University Hospitals of Geneva and Faculty of Medicine, Geneva, Switzerland. begona.martinezdetejada@hcuge.ch
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Martinez de Tejada
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gayet-Ageron
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Combescure
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Irion
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Baehni
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D032921:Consensus; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D010518:Periodontitis / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D047928:Premature Birth / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult