Effects of periodontal treatment in women with preeclampsia

Objectives: to determine the effects of periodontal intervention on pregnancy outcome in preeclamptic women.

Methods: Sixty patients with mild preeclampsia (blood pressure levels < 160/110 mm Hg without other systemic complication) from the Hospital Universitario del Valle (Cali, Colombia) were included. Preeclamptic population was randomized in two groups, one with periodontal intervention (n = 28) and another in which the periodontal intervention was practiced after child delivery (n = 32). Maternal sociodemographic, medical and periodontal data were collected. Periodontal intervention group (PIG) included patients in which supragingival and subgingival cleaning within ultrasonic and manual devices was performed after study inclusion. The progression from mild to severe preeclampsia and eclampsia, the number of days of clinical stability and the percentile of birth-weight adjusted for gestational age was evaluated in both groups.

Results: Population age average was 24.7 ± 6.4 years old.  Gestational age at inclusion was of 32.3 ± 1.6 weeks. Most of the recruited patients were multigravids. Chronic periodontitis was a frequent event  (61.7%). Social and demographic, medical and periodontal conditions were similar between the groups. The progression of the disease to severe preeclampsia or eclampsia was similar (89.2% PIG versus 84.4%, p = 0.65) (OR= 1.06 IC 95% 0.87-1.29, P = 0.7). The days of clinical stability was similar between the groups (Median 10 days, range 1-46, PIG versus 12 days, range 1-59) and the percentil of birthweight adjusted with gestational age had no differences between the groups (Median percentil 50 range 5-90 PIG versus percentil 55 range 5-95).

Conclusions: Periodontitis is common in mild preeclampsia patients.  Periodontal intervention do not seems to harm the health of mild preeclampsia subjects, however it doesn't alter the medical complication rate in both the child and the mother.