Periodontal Disease Highly Prevalent During Pregnancy, Analysis Suggests

Periodontal disease is highly prevalent during pregnancy, prompting researchers to recommend further investigation into the disease’s occurrence and impact, according to findings published in the Journal of Dentistry.

“The oral conditions of pregnant women have a significant impact on their own health and the future of their babies, [so] increasing attention has been paid to periodontal disease in pregnancy in recent years,” said a research team from China. “To our knowledge, evidence regarding the prevalence statistics of periodontal disease in pregnancy through consistent diagnostic criteria at the global level is limited.”

In an effort to fill the gap, the team conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis using articles from PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, Scopus, and Ovid. Studies were included only if they reported periodontitis and the following indicators associated with the disease: bleeding on probing (BOP), clinical attachment level (CAL), and pathological periodontal pockets (PD).

Twenty studies were included in the analysis. The prevalence of periodontitis during pregnancy was 40% (95% Confidence Interval (CI): [0.15, 1.00]).

BOP occurred at a rate of 67% (CI [0.56, 0.80]) among pregnant individuals. Additionally, researchers found rates of PD ≥4 mm and CAL ≥4 mm were 42% (CI [0.27, 0.57]) and 24% (CI [0.12, 0.37]), respectively. The prevalence of BOP and PD ≥4 mm gradually increased over the course of pregnancy, while CAL ≥4 mm was most prevalent during the second trimester, according to the findings.

The authors noted heterogeneity was high among the studies in their analysis and suggested more high-quality research be conducted.

“Periodontal disease in pregnancy is highly prevalent which results in a reduced quality of life, frequent systemic pathologies, and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Given the unhealthy consequences, public health impact, and expansive disease burden, it is worthwhile to investigate more aspects of periodontal disease during pregnancy,” they concluded.

Reference:
P Chen, F Hong, X Yu. Prevalence of periodontal disease in pregnancy: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Dent. 2022;125:104253. doi: 10.1016/j.jdent.2022.104253