PERIODONTAL INFECTION DURING PREGNANCY AND ITS CORRELATION WITH THE DELIVERY OF PRE-TERM LOW BIRTH WEIGHT BABIES (PLBW)

ABSTRACT

Aims: To see the correlation of periodontal disease in child bearing age as a potential risk factor for Pre-term Low Birth Weight (PLBW) babies.

Setting: A cross-sectional study carried out at the Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Shaikh Zayed Hospital, located in urban Lahore.

Methods: A convenient sample of 325 mothers was selected excluding all known confounding factors causing PLBW except the periodontal infection. The level of periodontal infection and delivery outcome of the mothers were recorded on Oral Health Performa. The sample was divided into two groups according the delivery outcomes. Data was coded and entered in SPSS 11.0. Analysis was done by applying Percentage Frequencies and Exact Chi-square test with 1% level of significance. Odds Ratio was calculated for an association of periodontal infection and PLBW.

Results: Study showed 43.4% mothers delivering PLBW babies had periodontal infection (19% had periodontal pocket depth of 4-5mm and 25% had more than 6mm pocket depth) compared to 35.9% mothers delivering NBW babies (p >0.5). Within the group of PLBW prevalence of periodontal infection was higher (43.3%) as compared to normal periodontal health (19%).

Conclusion: There was no co-relation between PLBW and periodontal disease, however, it is noticed that periodontal infection is high (43.4%) in PLBW group. Hence, it is suggested that the role of oral infections must not be over looked in such a population.