Effects of periodontal treatment during pregnancy, on prevention of preterm low birth weight: A case control study

Chronic periodontitis is an inflammatory condition of the periodontium and is highly prevalent in pregnant women due to poor oral hygiene and hormonal changes associated with pregnancy, producing serious ill effects on newborn babies. Preterm term low birth weight (PTLBW) is a serious issue associated with maternal periodontitis.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of periodontal treatment given during the third trimester of pregnancy on preterm labor and low birth weight.

Fifty-six patients were chosen according to the inclusion criteria and divided into two groups. Group one (case group) underwent supragingival and sub gingival scaling, root planning, and were given amoxicillin, mouthwash (0.2% Chlorhexidine), and instructions for warm saline gargles. The intervention for group two (control group) included only supragingival scaling with a placebo. The effect on preterm low birth weight was assessed after parturition, and clinical parameters such as plaque index (PI), bleeding on probing (BOP), periodontal pocket depth (PPD), and clinical attachment loss (CAL) were also recorded at baseline and after parturition.

Paired t-test used for analysis, ***Wilcoxon Non-parametric test of significance and unpaired t-test used for analysis, ***Mann Whitney U Non-parametric test of significance applied.

The clinical parameters such as BOP, CAL and PPD all showed a significant difference in the case and control group after parturition, with a P-value = 0.000 of all the three parameters. There was a significant difference in the mean values of weight in the case (2.92 kg) and control (2.63 kg) groups, with a P-value of 0.011.

According to this study, periodontal treatment is safe among women with chronic periodontitis during the third trimester, as it improves their oral hygiene status and could be a factor in avoiding preterm labor and low birth weight of infants. Furthermore, no deleterious effects were seen neither in maternal nor in infant health. Further research with a large sample size is advised to support the above statement.