title: Prevalence and risk factors of periodontal disease among pre-conception Chinese women.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Periodontal disease is one of the most common chronic infectious diseases. It has been reported that periodontal disease is associated with various adverse pregnancy outcomes including preterm birth, low birth weight, and gestational diabetes mellitus. Given the fact that the treatment for periodontal disease during pregnancy was ineffective in improving pregnancy outcomes by most of studies, the pre-conception period has been put forward as a more optimal time. However, very few studies have reported the prevalence of periodontal disease among pre-conception women. This study aimed to examine the prevalence and risk factors of periodontal disease among Chinese pre-conception women.
  
  
  METHODS
  A survey was conducted among pre-conception women at the Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Changzhou, China between January 2012 and December 2014. A total of 987 pre-conception women were recruited for a full-mouth dental examination after providing informed consent. A dental examination was carried out by probing six sites per tooth using a manual UNC-15 probe and a recording form.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall rate of periodontal disease among participants was 73.9% (729/987) (95% confidence interval (CI): 71.0-76.6%). Among women with periodontal disease, 48.0% of cases were mild, 50.9% were moderate and 1.1% were severe. Self-reported bleeding during tooth brushing was the only significant predictive factor for overall periodontal disease (adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 3.71, 95% CI: 2.24, 6.15, P < 0.001) and moderate/severe periodontal disease (aOR: 5.17, 95% CI: 3.05, 8.79, P < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A high prevalence of periodontal disease was found in pre-conception Chinese women. Women who have bleeding during tooth brushing could be at increased risk of periodontal disease, and might require further oral health care.
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety, Ministry of Education, Fudan University, Mailbox 175, No. 138 Yixueyuan Road, Shanghai, 200032, People's Republic of China. h_jiang@fudan.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Oral Health Department, Eye & ENT Hospital of Fudan University, 19 Baoqing Road, Shanghai, 200032, China.
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Su
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, 1440 Canal Street, New Orleans, LA, 70112, USA.
authors.forename: Xu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xiong
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, 1440 Canal Street, New Orleans, LA, 70112, USA.
authors.forename: Emily
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Harville
authors.affiliation: Reproductive Health Department, Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, Changzhou Municipality, 16 Boai Road, Changzhou, Jiangsu Province, 200032, China.
authors.forename: Hongqiao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Oral Health Department, Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, Changzhou Municipality, 16 Boai Road, Changzhou, Jiangsu Province, 200032, China.
authors.forename: Zhijun
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Global Health Institute, School of Public Health, Fudan University, Mailbox 175, No. 138 Yixueyuan Road, Shanghai, 200032, China.
authors.forename: Xu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Qian
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003729:Dental Care; D003753:Dental Health Surveys; D005260:Female; D005884:Gingival Hemorrhage / Q000208:ethnology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D006771:Hospitals, Maternity; D006776:Hospitals, Pediatric; D006801:Humans; D020380:Needs Assessment; D010510:Periodontal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy; D016742:Preconception Care; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000208:ethnology / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014099:Toothbrushing / Q000009:adverse effects; D014504:Urban Health / Q000208:ethnology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Periodontal disease; Pre-conception women; Prevalence; Risk factors