Preterm low birth weight and maternal periodontal status: a meta-analysis

Objective

This study was undertaken to assess the effect of maternal periodontal disease on preterm delivery and/or birth of low-weight infants.

Study design

We conducted a meta-analytic review of 5 medical databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, LILACS, BIOSIS and PASCAL) for human observational studies linking preterm delivery and/or birth of low-weight infants to maternal periodontal disease. The MOOSE guidelines for meta-analysis of observational studies were followed.

Results

The literature search revealed 17 articles that met the inclusion criteria. Seven thousand one hundred fifty-one women participated in the studies, 1056 of whom delivered a preterm and/or low birthweight infant. The overall odds ratio was 2.83 (95% CI: 1.95-4.10, P < .0001). This pooled value needed to be interpreted cautiously because there appeared to be a clear trend for the better quality studies to be of lower association strength.

Conclusion

These findings indicate a likely association, but it needs to be confirmed by large, well-designed, multicenter trials.

Key words: low birthweight, meta-analysis, periodontal disease, preterm birth, risk factor