Abstract
BackgroundPeriodontal diseases may affect local and systemic inflammation, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels. This systemic health burden could compromise the outcome of pregnancy in expectant mothers. The aim of the present study was to evaluate oxidative stress markers, including glutathione peroxidase (GPx), thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) and 8-hydroxy-2’-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), and total bacterial loads in the saliva of pregnant and postpartum women, and to investigate their association with periodontal disease severity.MethodsA total of 187 women were originally recruited for this case–control study, assigned to the following groups a) pregnant group, b) postpartum group: the pregnant group re-evaluated 6 months after giving birth, c) control group: systemically healthy and non-pregnant women. The levels of the studied oxidative stress markers in saliva were measured by commercially available kits.ResultsThe levels of salivary 8-OHdG were significantly elevated in the pregnant, compared with the control group. Although salivary 8-OHdG levels slightly decreased after giving birth (postpartum group), the difference did not reach significance. In contrast, the activity of antioxidant enzyme GPx in saliva was significantly lower in the pregnant than the control group. Although no differences in lipid peroxidation (represented by TBARS) were observed between the pregnant and control groups, after giving birth TBARS levels were significantly lowered. Only in the postpartum and control groups did clinical measurements of periodontal disease severity correlate with oxidative stress markers. Interestingly, there were no such correlations with TBARS in the pregnant and postpartum groups.ConclusionsThe present study shows changes in the oxidant/antioxidant balance in saliva during pregnancy and after birth, which may be affected by periodontal health status in the latter case. Whether this is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes, or not, remains to be elucidated. Early identification of ROS markers in saliva may be of clinical value in the periodontal management of pregnant women.
Highlights
Periodontal diseases may affect local and systemic inflammation, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels
A local elevation of pro-inflammatory mediators is caused in the periodontal tissues, which may lead to reversible inflammation or to irreversible local tissue destruction [5]
Patients in the periodontitis non-pregnant women group were significantly older than the other groups (P
Summary
Periodontal diseases may affect local and systemic inflammation, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels. Significant links have been elucidated between local inflammatory periodontal disease and systemic conditions, such as diabetes mellitus and a higher risk of preterm lowbirth weight babies (PLBW) [29]. In this line, many studies supported a possible bi-directional relationship between periodontal disease and pregnancy [6, 26]. The occurring physiological changes affect the maternal immune system This may reflect on the clinical presentation of both systemic and local infections, such as periodontal diseases [6, 26].
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