Oral, systemic and socioeconomic factors associated with preterm birth

Background: The rates of preterm births have been increasing worldwide. Complications related to preterm births are associated with increased costs of care, and have a direct impact on the health system of the countries. Therefore, it is important to address factors associated with preterm birth in order to provide prevention strategies.

Objective: This case-control study investigated oral, systemic, and socioeconomic factors associated with preterm birth in postpartum women. Participants were 279 postpartum women that gave birth to a singleton live-born infant. Cases were women giving birth before 37 completed weeks of gestation (preterm birth). Controls were women giving birth at term (≥37weeks). Data were collected through questionnaires, medical records and intra-oral clinical examinations, which included dental caries registration according to World Health Organization criteria and oral biofilm evaluation through visible plaque index.

Results: Ninety-one women had preterm birth (cases) and 188 women had birth at term (controls), ratio 1:2. Caries lesions were present in 62.3% of the cases and in 62.5% of the controls. The univariate analysis showed no association between dental caries and preterm birth (Odds Ratio=1.08, p=0.90). The multivariate analysis showed that maternal educational level (Odds Ratio=2.56, p=0.01) and arterial hypertension (Odds Ratio=2.32, p=0.01) were associated with prematurity.

Conclusion: This study demonstrated that dental caries is frequent in postpartum women, but it does not appear to be associated with preterm birth. Meanwhile, maternal education level and arterial hypertension were associated with prematurity in this population.