INTER-RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CHRONIC PERIODONTITIS AND PRETERM LABOR/LOW BIRTH WEIGHT – LITERATURE REVIEW

Abstract

Periodontitis is a disease of high prevalence that affects individuals worldwide, being the main cause of dental loss in adults. This disease is caused by the interaction of the periodontal pathogens present in the dental biofilm with the host's response mechanism, culminating in loss of the supporting tissues. Studies recognize that systemic conditions can directly influence the progression of the periodontal inflammatory response. Among these, gestation is highlighted, which is characterized by hormonal changes in estrogen and progesterone levels that may exacerbate the host's response to the microbial challenge. On the other hand, the presence of periodontal pathogens and the high concentrations of inflammatory mediators, especially prostaglandin (PG) E2, in the crevicular fluid of pregnant women may possibly cause high relevance gestational interferences, such as premature (PP) and low birth weight at birth (LBW). Thus, the objective of the present study was to perform a literature review on the association between periodontitis, PP and BPN. For this, scientific articles were searched in the Scielo and Pubmed databases published in the last 12 years. Twenty-one pre-clinical / clinical scientific research articles were selected, of which 17 corroborated with this association, while only 4 had negative results in relation to this combination. Thus, it can be observed that the presence of maternal periodontal disease seems to contribute to the significant increase of births of babies in PP or with LBW, thus suggesting the possible interrelationship between periodontal disease and adverse outcomes during pregnancy.