Do more pregnancies increase the risk of periodontal disease?

AbstractBackground Periodontal disease is multifactorial. Although the dental biofilm initiates periodontal disease, the progression of the disease depends on several local and systemic factors. Hormonal changes in pregnancy and their induced effect on periodontal health are well documented. However, the effect of multiple pregnancies on the periodontal tissue is lacking and not well reported in the literature. The present study is aimed at the potential repercussions of multiple pregnancies on periodontal health. Materials and methods The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) is a comprehensive, cross-sectional survey conducted in the United States. Our study utilized data from key sections of the NHANES. All the pertaining and relevant data for the study is collected. Our exposure variable was the number of pregnancies and the outcome variable was periodontal disease. The number of pregnancies is classified as one, two, three, four, or more. Age, gender, race/ethnicity, education, poverty/income ratio, marital status, occupation, smoking habits, alcohol consumption, dental insurance coverage, dental visit frequency, and body mass index (BMI)are considered covariate variables and recorded appropriately. Simple and multiple logistic regression models were employed to assess the impact of multiple pregnancies on periodontal disease. The multiple regression model included age, sex, race, income, and education level as explanatory variables. The selection of these potential confounders was based on either current literature evidence or their association with insurance and dental care utilization variables observed in bivariate analysis. Result The crude and multiple logistic regression analyses revealed that none of the variables were significantly associated with the prevalence of periodontitis. In univariate analysis, patients with two pregnancies had higher odds of experiencing periodontitis (OR 1.154, 95% CI 0.748–1.779), and those with one pregnancy had odds of having periodontitis (OR 1.464, 95% CI 0.864–2.483). However, these associations did not reach statistical significance. Conclusion Within the limitation of the study, there is no significant relationship between parity and the prevalence of periodontitis, the longitudinal study may be warranted to delve deeper into any potential associations.