The East London Study of Maternal Chronic Periodontal Disease and Preterm Low Birth Weight Infants: Study Design and Prevalence Data
- 1 July 1998
- journal article
- Published by Wiley in Annals of Periodontology
- Vol. 3 (1), 213-221
- https://doi.org/10.1902/annals.1998.3.1.213
Abstract
The influence of subject-based and environmental factors on the balance between the subgingival microbial challenge and the host response in periodontal diseases illustrates the intimate link between oral and systemic health. From this stems the hypothesis that the persistent Gram-negative challenge and associated inflammatory sequelae in periodontal disease may have consequences extending beyond the periodontal tissues themselves. This paper addresses the design of a case-control study to examine the relationship between preterm low birth weight (PLBW) and maternal periodontal disease. We present preliminary data on the prevalence of these 2 conditions in a group of mothers at the Royal Hospitals Trust, London, U.K. Cases are defined as mothers delivering an infant weighing less than 2,500g before 37 weeks gestation and controls as mothers delivering an infant of more than 2,500g after 38 weeks. We estimated that a study involving 800 mothers (1:3 case:control) should have sufficient power to detect an association with a minimum odds ration of 3 at the 5% significance level. Demographic details of 177 subjects demonstrated that they were representative of the local population, and the prevalence of PLBW was within the expected range. However, the extent and severity of periodontal disease were higher than predicted and may have reflected elevations in gingival inflammation associated with pregnancy. The final outcome of the study should help determine the need for further interventionist studies to demonstrate a causal relationship between periodontal disease and PLBW, as well as provide information on the prevalence of periodontal diseases in this study population.Keywords
This publication has 10 references indexed in Scilit:
- Periodontal Infection as a Possible Risk Factor for Preterm Low Birth WeightThe Journal of Periodontology, 1996
- Effects of a Porphyromonas gingivalis infection on inflammatory mediator response and pregnancy outcome in hamstersInfection and Immunity, 1994
- A review of premature birth and subclinical infectionAmerican Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 1992
- Host Mediators in Gingival Crevicular Fluid: Implications for the Pathogenesis of Periodontal DiseaseCritical Reviews in Oral Biology & Medicine, 1992
- The fetal and infant origins of adult disease.BMJ, 1990
- Detection of high‐risk groups and individuals for periodontal diseasesJournal of Clinical Periodontology, 1988
- Risk factors for prematurity and premature rupture of membranes: A prospective study of the vaginal flora in pregnancyAmerican Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 1984
- Host Responses Host Responses in Periodontal DiseasesJournal of Dental Research, 1984
- Testing therapeutic measures for controlling chronic gingivitis in man: A suggested protocolJournal of Clinical Periodontology, 1975
- Periodontal Disease in Pregnancy I. Prevalence and SeverityActa Odontologica Scandinavica, 1963