ORAL HEALTH IS OVERALL HEALTH: ASSOCIATION OF MATERNAL PERIODONTAL DISEASE WITH PRETERM BIRTH, A CASE CONTROL STUDY

Background: When it comes to health, the most overlooked aspect of health in the Philippines is oral health. Numerous studies have reported the possible association of maternal periodontal diseases with preterm birth. However, their association remains controversial.

Objective: This study aims to determine the association between preterm birth and maternal periodontal disease.

Materials and Methods: Preterm birth (PTB) or cases (n=28) included subjects who had spontaneous labor or rupture of membrane and delivered before 37 weeks of gestation. Full term birth (FTB) or controls were normal births at or after 37 weeks of gestation (n=28). Sociodemographic and health-related characteristics were obtained through interview and medical records. Full-mouth periodontal examination was performed on all mothers within 2 days of delivery. Three indices to assess periodontal diseases were utilized – Oral Hygiene Index, Simplified (OHI-S), Modified Gingival Index (MGI) and Lindhe Classification of Tooth Mobility. The number of missing teeth and the presence of dental caries, pus and calcular deposits were likewise noted.

Results: Low socioeconomic status may be one of the possible barriers to oral health. It is evident that majority of the subjects had poor health seeking behavior - 94.6% visit the dentist only as needed and 53.7% cannot recall their last dental consult. periodontal conditions – particularly gingivitis and dental caries - put a woman at a higher risk for preterm birth. Gingivitis is noted to be associated with preterm birth (p=0.0057) with an odds ratio of 20.25. Presence of dental caries is also an identified risk factor (p=0232).

Conclusion: Preterm birth is a worldwide problem with serious long-term repercussions. That being said, a multifaceted approach, targeting a number of risk factors of which oral health is one, is needed to effectively address the problem of preterm birth.