Introduction:

The frequency and severity of periodontal diseases in puerperal women are affected by the hormonal changes typical of the period, and it is estimated that the risk of preterm deliveries and low birth weight can be associated with the presence of them.

Objective:

To determine the periodontal status and other obstetric factors associated with puerperal women, and their possible causal relationship with preterm deliveries and low-weight babies in Santiago de Cuba.

Material and Methods:

An analytical observational case control study was carried out in puerperal women at the three provincial maternity hospitals in Santiago de Cuba during 2017 - 2019. The cases included 250 puerperal women with preterm low birth weight deliveries and the controls involved 453 women with term normal birth weight births. The independent variables were periodontal diseases and other associated obstetric-gynecological factors. The non-parametric X2 test of independence (p≤0.05), and Spearman's Rho correlation coefficient were applied. The causal association was determined by OR with its confidence intervals and a binary logistic regression model.

Results:

The results show that 37,4 % of the puerperal women had periodontal disease, with a predominance of gingivitis (16 %) and mild periodontitis (15 %); preterm delivery and low birth weight affected 35,6 % of the total, which was also associated with periodontal disease (OR= 21,7) along with other predisposing factors. Conclusions: There is a high frequency of periodontal diseases that are significantly associated with preterm deliveries and low birth weight in conjunction with other predisposing factors present in the studied puerperal women.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in Spanish     · Spanish ( pdf )