[Risk assessment for preterm delivery in pregnant women with active periodontitis]. / Próba oceny ryzyka porodu przedwczesnego u ciezarnych z aktywnym zapaleniem tkanek przyzebia.

INTRODUCTION: Premature labor has been regarded as a highly problematic clinical event not only due to its relation with perinatal mortality but also in the light of the remote results of the prematurity. Therefore many ongoing studies concentrate on evaluation of potentially avoidable risk factors of premature labor. Relatively few studies have suggested chronic periodontitis as such a determinant. OBJECTIVES: Prospective evaluation of periodontium changes in the course of otherwise normal pregnancy. Assessment of potential influence of periodontium pathology, and its severity, on the obstetrical complications. The authors have made literature search on the relation of active periodontitis and premature labor. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Study involved 120 randomized gravidae attending electively dental clinic for a routine control. INCLUSION CRITERIA: single pregnancy, no preterm delivery in a history, mother's age 18 to 35 years, gestational age 10 to 20 weeks based on a last menstrual period date--confirmed on ultrasound. Every patient underwent dental examination twice--at the inclusion date and 48 hours after delivery. Patients were divided into three groups. Group I (n = 25)--healthy patients. Group II (n = 61)--patients with mild or moderate periodontitis. Group III (n = 39) patients with a severe periodontitis. Progression of lesions was recognized if the post-delivery dental assessment revealed increase of the pockets depth higher than 2mm and in at least 4 places compared with the initial findings. RESULT: In the course of otherwise normal pregnancy women with signs of inflammation within periodontium revealed progression of this pathology proportional to its severity in early pregnancy. This increase was associated with 4-fold higher rate of preterm deliveries in Group II and 12-fold in Group III compared with healthy patients. CONCLUSION: Active and severe periodontitis should be regarded as independent and highly influential risk factor of the preterm delivery.

[Influence of the prevention of maternal periodontitis on the risk of preterm delivery]. / Wplyw profilaktyki aktywnego zapalenia tkanek przyzebia na ryzyko wystapienia porodu przedwczesnego.

The premature labour has been regarded as a highly problematic clinical event not only due to its relation with perinatal mortality but also in the light of the remote results of the prematurity. Evaluation of the influence of active periodontitis on a preterm delivery risk. Retrospective assessment of the preterm delivery risk in a group of pregnant women with clinically confirmed periodontitis and healthy otherwise was performed. Further risk assessment was stratified on a basis whether prophylactic measures against this dental pathology were introduced (n = 30 of women were treated). The control group consisted of 30 pregnant and healthy women. Patients with active periodontitis and having a prophylactic treatment had a 4-fold increase of a preterm delivery risk compared to those without this dental pathology. The risk was 12 times higher in the group with advanced changes and no treatment. According to the results, periodontitis should be regarded as a systemic disorder capable of affecting a pregnancy so prevention procedures should be introduced as soon as the problem is recognized. Such a procedure involving dental assessment in described population could significantly decrease the number of preterm deliveries.