Association between periodontitis and preterm low birth weight in human immunodeficiency virus seropositive pregnant women in India: A cohort study

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Because of the inflammatory response to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and periodontitis risk of developing adverse pregnancy outcomes are high. There is a limited number of studies available in the literature regarding the association between periodontitis and adverse pregnancy outcomes, especially in HIV infection. So the main objective of the present study was to assess the risk of preterm low birth weight (PTLBW) associated with periodontitis among HIV seropositive pregnant women. METHODS: The study sample consists of 216 HIV seropositive pregnant women with complete dental and medical history and the appointment for the follow-up visit was made after the delivery to assess the baby’s health.Gingivitis and periodontitis were assessed based on the bleeding on probing and clinical attachment levels at the first visit. RESULTS: In our study, the majority of 96 (44.44%) of the gingivitis cases belong to “moderate gingivitis” and the majority of 62 (28.70%) of the periodontitis cases were found to be in the mild periodontitis category. The relative risk for women with gingivitis or periodontitis having a preterm birth, low birth weight, and PTLBW was not statistically significant. The trend of risk ratios was found to be increased over the severity of periodontitis. CONCLUSION: This study shows an association between adverse neonatal outcomes with moderate and severe periodontitis. But these results were not statistically significant. This study implicates the importance of oral health care in HIV-positive pregnant women.