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. 2022 May 4:10:799740.
doi: 10.3389/fped.2022.799740. eCollection 2022.

Periodontal Disease and Adverse Neonatal Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Youzhen Zhang  1   2   3   4   5 , Wanbing Feng  1   2   3   4   5 , Jingyu Li  1   2   3   4   5 , Linlin Cui  1   2   3   4   5 , Zi-Jiang Chen  1   2   3   4   5   6   7
Affiliations

Periodontal Disease and Adverse Neonatal Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Youzhen Zhang et al. Front Pediatr. .

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between maternal periodontal disease (PD) and three main adverse neonatal outcomes, namely, preterm birth (PTB), low birth weight (LBW), and small for gestational age (SGA).

Methods: The Ovid Medline, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane Library were searched up to 6 December 2020 for relevant observational studies on an association between PD and risk of PTB, LBW, and SGA. Eligibility criteria included observational studies which compared the prevalence of PTB and/or LBW and/or SGA between PD women and periodontal health controls. The exclusion criteria included incomplete data, animal research, and mixing up various pregnancy outcomes, such as "preterm low birth weight" and languages other than Chinese and English. Data were extracted and analyzed independently by two authors. The meta-analysis was performed using Stata Statistical Software, Release 12 (StataCorp LP, College Station, TX, USA). Odds ratio (OR), confidence intervals (CIs), and heterogeneity (I 2) were computed.

Results: Fourteen case-control studies and 10 prospective cohort studies, involving 15,278 participants, were identified. Based on fixed effect meta-analysis, PTB showed a significant association with PD (OR = 1.57, 95% CI: 1.39-1.77, P < 0.00001) and LBW also showed a significant association with PD (OR = 2.43, 95% CI: 1.75-3.37, P < 0.00001) in a random effect meta-analysis. However, a random effect meta-analysis showed no relationship between PD and SGA (OR = 1.62, 95% CI: 0.86-3.07, P = 0.136).

Conclusion: Our findings indicate that pregnant women with PD have a significantly higher risk of PTB and LBW. However, large prospective, blinded cohort studies with standardized diagnostic criteria of PD and adequate control of confounding factors are still required to confirm the relationship between PD and adverse neonatal outcomes.

Keywords: low birth weight (LBW); meta-analysis; neonatal outcomes; periodontal disease (PD); preterm birth (PTB).

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flowchart of the study selection process for the present meta-analysis.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Forest plot of preterm birth events.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Subgroup analyses for preterm birth.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Forest plot of low birth weight (LBW) events.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Subgroup analyses for LBW.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Forest plot of small for gestational age events.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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