IOSR Journal of Dental and Medical Sciences (IOSR-JDMS) e-ISSN: 2279-0853, p-ISSN: 2279-0861.Volume 13, Issue 8 Ver. IV (Aug. 2014), PP 12-15 www.iosrjournals.org www.iosrjournals.org 12 | Page Periodontal Disease as a Risk Factor for Preterm Delivery and Low Birth Weight 1 Kukkamalla Meena Anand, 2 Betsy S Thomas, 3 Pralhad Kushtagi, 4 Gurupreet Kaur, 5 Banihatti Chandrappa Satheesha Abstract: Objective: The objective of the present study was to evaluate the association between chronic periodontitis of mother with preterm delivery and low birth weight. Study design: Two hundred subjects who reported to Department of Obstetric and Gynecology, Kasturba Hospital, Manipal, Karnataka were included in the study. Subjects were divided into cases and controls based on pregnancy outcome. General information on socioeconomic status, obstetric history, dental history, oral hygiene, gingival status and probing pocket depth were also recorded. Results: Poor oral hygiene,moderate to severe gingivitis and increased probing pocket depth was significantly higher in those who delivered small babies (preterm and small for gestational age) than the average sized (74% vs. 11%; x2 81.2, p<0.001). (x2 92.8, p<0.001). (60% vs. 3%; x2 97.9, p<0.001). Conclusion: There was significant co-relation of poor hygiene, gingival inflammation, probing pocket depth to Preterm Delivery and Low Birth Weight. Key Words: Preterm Delivery, Low Birth Weight, Periodontal disease. I. Introduction “Periodontal Disease” is an all encompassing term relating to the destructive inflammatory disorders of the hard and soft tissues surrounding teeth. Evidence emerging in the last decade has shed light on the relationship between oral health and various systemic conditions like coronary heart disease, stroke, adverse pregnancy outcomes, and acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, aspiration pneumonia and diabetes. The infected periodontium can represent an endocrine like source of potentially deleterious cytokines and lipid mediators which may increase the likelihood of adverse pregnancy outcomes. Several studies have shown that periodontal disease can increase the risk of preterm low birth weight babies. Offenbacher and colleagues in 1996 reported that prevalence of maternal periodontal infection could be associated with preterm low birth weight, controlling for known risk factors and potential covariates. 1 Differing opinions from different authors in different populations, it is thought necessary to explore the relationship in other populations. Present communication is an effort to correlate in those mothers, the outcome of delivery of low birth weight babies with the severity of different periodontal parameters. II. Materials And Methods Immediate postpartum periodontal examination was carried out on 200 women. Cases included 100 women delivering before 37 weeks of pregnancy (preterm, 30 cases) or small for gestational age babies (70 cases). One hundred women who delivered an average sized baby (>2500g) at term on the same day or in the next two days as the case were studied as controls. All these women were the ones who volunteered to sign informed consent, admitted in spontaneous labor, delivered singleton babies, had not had periodontal treatment nor had received antibiotics for any infection in the last six months. Pregnancies complicated by heart disease or hypertension, were not included. (Table-1) Only women with known last menstrual period and first trimester dating scan were enrolled for study (Table-2) by the resident obstetrician, who checked the labor room birth register everyday in the morning to note down the cases who delivered preterm or small for gestation age babies and immediate next entry to that of case who delivered average sized baby. Prior approval to carry out the study was obtained from the Institutional Ethics Committee. Oral examination was carried out at the bedside within 72 hours ofthe delivery by specialist periodontist who was blinded to the case-control status of the recruited. Oral hygiene of the individual was evaluated using the simplified oral hygiene index (Green and Vermillion, 1964) 2 and inflammatory condition of the gingiva using gingival index as suggested by Loe and Silness (1963). 3 Periodontal pocket depths were recorded using Williams’s periodontal probe. Periodontal infection was considered positive if any of the following were present: poor oral hygiene index (simplified), gingival index ofabove1 (moderate to severe gingivitis), or periodontal pocket depth of≥4