Main Article Content

Impact of Maternal Periodontitis on Preterm Birth and Low Birth Weight in Babies: Results of a Scoping Review


Peace Uwambaye
Cyprien Munyanshongore
Stephen Rulisa
Harlan Shiau
Assuman Nuhu
Michael S. Kerr

Abstract

Background


Periodontitis has been documented as public health concern but its association with preterm and low birth weight remains uncertain, thus the objective of this scoping review is to summarize the most recent published evidence related to the impact of periodontitis on preterm birth and low birth weight in order to improve public awareness and to inform policies for oral health during pregnancy.


Methods


Hinari, PubMed, and Google Scholar were searched to acquire the published literature. The retrieved studies included cross-sectional, case control studies and randomized controlled trials with available full text published in English from 2008 to 2019.


Results


After combining the key words, 333 articles were identified with only 133 eligible articles published from 2008 to 2019. After reviewing the available 50 full text articles, duplicates were removed and 15 studies fully met the inclusion criteria. There were 13 articles that supported the association between maternal periodontitis and preterm low birth weight while 2 found no evidence to support the association.


Conclusion


The results of this scoping review contribute to an increasing body of evidence to support the hypothesis that maternal periodontal disease may be a risk factor for preterm delivery and low birth weight.


Rwanda J Med Health Sci 2020;3(3):372-386


Journal Identifiers


eISSN: 2616-9827
print ISSN: 2616-9819