Maternal Periodontitis as a Risk Factor for Preterm Birth: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract Background Preterm birth is a heterogeneous condition with multiple underlying causes, and periodontal diseases are one of them. There are approximately 900,000 preterm births reported in Pakistan each year, with a global prevalence of 11.1%. Oral infections such as periodontitis during pregnancy are associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes such as low birth weight and preterm births. However, different studies have reported contradictory findings. We conducted a cross-sectional study to assess the association of preterm birth with oral infection in pregnancy. Methods We conducted an observational cross-sectional study on 400 postpartum pregnant women in Khyber Teaching Hospital, Peshawar. Only women within the age bracket 18 to 40 years were recruited. Mothers who had less than 6 teeth and a history of systemic diseases were excluded. Data were collected by an interview-based structured questionnaire. The Severity and Extent index was used to assess the periodontal health of participants. Frequency tables were generated, and the chi-square test was used to determine associations between different categorical variables. Results The mean age of the participants was 25.8 ± 4.9 years. Approximately 87.5% of the women had generalized periodontitis. Approximately 68% of mothers had moderate severity of periodontitis. The extent index showed no notable difference between the preterm and full-term birth groups. In contrast, the severity index displayed a statistically significant difference between the preterm and full-term birth groups. Conclusion The majority of the women had generalized periodontitis. The severity index demonstrated a significant association between maternal periodontitis and preterm births. There was no association between the age of mothers and preterm births. Complications in pregnancy were not associated with preterm births.