Abstract

Objectives: The objective of the study was to determine if chronic periodontitis is a risk factor for premature births and/or newborn low weight babies. Study design: Case and control study. Materials and methods: 128 women individuals from 18 and 37 year old in Carlos Van Buren, Valparaíso and San Camilo, San Felipe hospitals were examined 46 cases and 82 controls were recruited. Individuals that had been administered periodontal treatment during pregnancy, antibiotics in chronic way or suffered any systemic disease were excluded from the study. Statistic Methodology: Statistic parcel SPSS 10 was used. Student T and square Chi were applied with a level of 5% significance. Results: the results show a significant difference (p<0,005) between chronic periodontitis and premature low weight newborn according to analyzed classifications (López, offenbacher and AAP). This study showed a significant difference between study group and the majority of traditional risk factors for this pathology, such as premature membrane rupture and early delivery work. Conclusion: This study shows evidence that pregnant women suffering moderate to severe periodontitis reach higher values of premature delivery than the ones in good periodontal health or suffering from mild periodontitis. The study suggests that a preventive plan and periodontal treatment should be considered for women in fertile age in order to achieve a healthy periodontal condition.