Relationship between maternal periodontal disease and Apgar score of newborns

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between maternal periodontal disease and the health status of newborns using Apgar scores. METHODS: One hundred pregnant women with periodontal disease were included in the case series and 100 pregnant women without periodontal disease were placed in the control group, respectively. The periodontal parameters of bleeding on probing (BOP), clinical attachment loss (CAL), probing depth (PD), birth weight, and Apgar scores were recorded in both groups. T-tests and Pearson's correlation coefficient were used to determine the birth weight odds ratio to analyze the relationship between the periodontal parameters of BOP, CAL, and PD on the one hand and an Apgar score of less than 7. An unpaired Student's t-test was used to analyze differences in means between the case and control groups using SPSS ver. 13. RESULTS: The means of the ages, periodontal pocket depths, attachment loss, areas with BOP, Apgar score in the first 5 minutes and infant birth weight exhibited statistically significant differences between the case and control groups. The ratio of an Apgar score of <7 to periodontal disease was 3.14; the ratio of low birth weight risk in mothers with periodontal disease to that in mothers without periodontal disease was 2.74. Pearson's correlation coefficient revealed a significant correlation between the infant birth weight and BOP, CAL, and PD of the mother. In addition, there was a significant correlation between the Apgar score and BOP, CAL, and PD and also between the Apgar score and infant birth weight. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study showed a significant relationship between periodontal disease and infant birth weight; in addition, there was a significant relationship between the periodontal indexes of BOP, CAL, and PD on the one hand and the Apgar score on the other.

Relationship between maternal periodontal condition and body size of newborns

It has been suggested that periodontal disease may be a risk factor for a number of multifactorial systemic conditions such as preterm deliveries. The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between maternal periodontal disease and body size of newborns. After controlling traditional risk factors for premature child birth and low birth weight. One-hundred eighty mothers were selected: 17 were periodontally healthy, 77 had gingivitis, 72 had initial periodontitis and 14 suffered from established periodontitis. These mothers and their newborns formed the study population. The body size consisting of weight, height, and head and chest circumference, were taken from newborns' hospital files. A decrease in the newborns' body size was observed as the mothers' periodontal disease severity increased. Birth weight, height, and head and chest circumference of babies born of mothers with established periodontal disease were significantly lower than those who were born of mothers with healthy periodontal condition, gingivitis and initial periodontal disease [P = 0.006, P=0.016, P < 0.001 and P < 0.001, respectively]. The data suggest that there is a considerable association between periodontal disease in pregnant women and body size of their newborns, this preliminary finding needs to be confirmed in more extensive studies

Comparison of subgingival plaque removal using hand curettes, magnetostrictive ultrasonic sealers and air polishing devices with and without nacho[3] abrasive powder: an ex vivo study

One important treatment objective of periodontal therapy is the removal of bacterial deposits and the arrest of disease progression. The aim of the present study was to compare subgingival plaque removal using hand curettes, magnetostrictive ultrasonic sealers and air-polishing devices [APD] with and without NaHCO3 abrasive powder. In this controlled randomized clinical trial, all surfaces of 60 single-rooted hopeless teeth with untreated periodontitis were treated either by hand curettes, magnetostrictive ultrasonic sealers or APD with or without NaHCO[3] abrasive powder. The teeth were extracted and stained in methylene blue in water solution. Digital images were captured under a microscope and depth of plaque removal was measured with image processing software. ANOVA and correlation tests were applied to data. The mean comparison showed that using APD with water alone failed to achieve adequate plaque removal. Subgingival plaque removal in the lingual surface was significantly lower in all investigated instruments [P < 0.001]. The mean cleansing depths of curettes, ultrasonic sealers and APD with NaHCO[3] powder were 4.6, 6.0 and 4.2 mm, respectively. The effectiveness of different instruments is not identical for different sites. Therefore, the efficiency of these instruments should be adjusted for various clinical applications