Clinical and Microbiological Periodontal Evaluation of Mothers of Preterm Babies: A Case-Control Study

Abstract

Objective: To establish the periodontal clinical parameters and frequency of periodontopathogenic bacteria in the subgingival biofilms of mothers of preterm babies compared with the mothers of term babies. Method: A case-control study involving 40 women was performed. In the study group were included 20 mothers of preterm babies, while the control group had 20 mothers of term babies. Within 48 h post birth, the subjects were interviewed for collecting information about identification, sociodemographic data, day-to-day habits, current and former gestational history, and periodontal examination (periodontal probing depth, bleeding on probing, plaque index and loss of periodontal attachment, and subgingival biofilm collection). The microbiological analysis of the biofilm detected the bacteria Tannerella forsythia, Treponema denticola, Porphyromonas gingivalis and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans by the conventional PCR technique. Data were analyzed by the Student’s t-test with unequal variances, Pearson’s chi square test or Fisher’s exact test when the conditions for use of the chi square test were not fulfilled. The significance level was set at 5% and the confidence interval at 95%. Results: The means for clinical attachment loss and bleeding on probing were significantly greater among the mothers of preterm babies compared with mothers of term babies (p=0.049 and p=0.031, respectively). Porphyromonas gingivalis was significantly more frequent in the case group (p=0.044). Conclusion: It may be suggested that periodontal inflammation and attachment loss, as well as the presence of Porphyromonas gingivalis in the subgingival biofilms of the mothers of preterm babies can be associated with the preterm birth of the children.