Maternal periodontitis and low birth weight: systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Recent evidence points to the influence of periodontal inflammatory processes on the occurrence of low birth weight. Although many studies employed robust investigation methods, there is still no general agreement on the relationship between maternal periodontitis and low birth weight. The search for studies was conducted until April 2019. The studies included cohort and case-control studies that estimated the association between periodontitis and low birth weight, with no restriction on language or date of publication. Analysis of the heterogeneity of studies, subgroup analyses and meta-analyses with a random effects model were performed. Summary association measurements were estimated using the crude and adjusted Odds Ratio, with respective 95% confidence intervals. Visual inspection of graphs was used to assess publication bias. A total of 21 articles were identified, all of which were selected for the meta-analysis. The final model indicates that periodontitis in pregnant women was associated with low birth weight (OR_gross=2.13; CI95%=1.60-2.83; I²=80.0% and OR_adjusted=2.64; CI95%=2.04-3.42; I²=17.4%). Pregnant women with periodontitis may be more than twice as likely to have low birth weight babies.

Key words:
Periodontitis; Low birth weight; Systematic Review; Meta-analysis