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Pre‐term delivery and periodontal disease: a case–control study from Croatia
Author(s) -
Bošnjak Andrija,
Relja Tomislav,
VučićevićBoras Vanja,
Plasaj Hrvoje,
Plančak Darije
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
journal of clinical periodontology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.456
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1600-051X
pISSN - 0303-6979
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-051x.2006.00977.x
Subject(s) - medicine , risk factor , odds ratio , obstetrics , pregnancy , cohort , gestational age , periodontitis , premature rupture of membranes , gestation , dentistry , genetics , biology
Aim: The aim of this report was to assess the strength and influence of periodontitis as a possible risk factor for pre‐term birth (PTB) in a cohort of 81 primiparous Croatian mothers aged 18–39 years. Methods: PTB cases ( n =17; mean age 25±2.9 years; age range 20–33 years) were defined as spontaneous delivery after less than 37 completed weeks of gestation that were followed by spontaneous labour or spontaneous rupture of membranes. Controls (full‐time births) were normal births at or after 37 weeks of gestation ( n =64; mean age 25±2.9 years; age range 19–39 years). Information on known risk factors and obstetric factors included the current pregnancy history, maternal age at delivery, pre‐natal care, nutritional status, tobacco use, alcohol use, genitourinary infections, vaginosis, gestational age, and birth weight. Full‐mouth periodontal examination was performed on all mothers within 2 days of delivery. Results: PTB cases had significantly worse periodontal status than controls ( p =0.008). Multivariate logistic regression model, after controlling for other risk factors, demonstrated that periodontal disease is a significant independent risk factor for PTB, with an adjusted odds ratio of 8.13 for the PTB group (95% confidence interval 2.73–45.9). Conclusion: Periodontal disease represents a strong, independent, and clinically significant risk factor for PTB in the studied cohort. There are strong indicators that periodontal therapy should form a part of preventive prenatal care in Croatia.