Periodontal Disease of Pregnant Women and Low Weight Newborn in Senegal: A Case-Control Study

The aim of this work was to study the connection between periodontal diseas of women during their pregnancy and the weight of newborn infants the women gave birth to. Method: It was a case-control study and carried out on the outskirts of Dakar (Senegal). The sample consisted of 129 mothers with infants of weight < 2500 g (case) and 258 mothers with infants of weight ≥ 2500 g (control). The socio-demographic variables, patterns of life, history and outcome of pregnancy were collected. The variables relating to periodontal status included the plaque index, inflammation, bleeding, loss of clinical attachment and pocket depth. Data were analyzed by the R software. Logistic regression had identified associations on the threshold of 5%. Results: The proportions of mothers with periodontitis were 70.6% among cases versus 33% in controls. Periodontitis was significantly associated with low weight (OR = 4 [2.3 5.7] 4) adjusted on age, BMI and other periodontal indices. Conclusion: periodontal disease appears to be involved in the occurrence of low birth weight in the African context. The introduction of an oral component in prenatal consultations is therefore necessary for the health of mothers and their children.