Maternal periodontal health during pregnancy and term newborn outcomes : a secondary analysis / Bonnie Anne Perkins-Clothier.

Format:

Book

Manuscript

Microformat

Thesis/Dissertation

Author/Creator:

Perkins-Clothier, Bonnie Anne.

Contributor:

Stringer, Marilyn, advisor.

University of Pennsylvania.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Penn dissertations--Nursing.

Nursing--Penn dissertations.

Academic Dissertations as Topic.

Medical Subjects:

Academic Dissertations as Topic.

Local Subjects:

Penn dissertations--Nursing.

Nursing--Penn dissertations.

Physical Description:

xvii, 195 pages : illustrations ; 29 cm

Production:

2008.

Summary:

Maternal oral health is essential to the health and well-being of both mother and baby. Periodontal disease, an alteration of oral health as a result of chronic infection in the gums and bone surrounding the teeth, is emerging as a risk factor for preterm birth. Although the actual pathway for this relationship is unknown, microbial insult and inflammatory response are hypothesized as the conduits between maternal oral health and pregnancy outcome. Little is known about newborn outcomes in women with periodontal disease who experience a term pregnancy. Consequently, the purpose of this investigation was to explore the relationship between periodontal health during pregnancy and term newborn outcomes. The specific aims were to investigate (1) whether newborn outcomes differed between women with term pregnancies (greater than or equal to 37 weeks) who had periodontal disease as compared to women who did not have periodontal disease; and (2) whether newborn outcomes differed between women with term pregnancies who received treatment for periodontal disease during pregnancy as compared to women who did not receive treatment for their periodontal disease. The health of the newborn was measured using a dichotomous composite scoring system, and the relationship was investigated via a secondary analysis of a recently completed randomized controlled trial. The available sample consisted of 995 subjects who met the inclusion/exclusion criteria for the secondary analysis. Significance was determined by the Student t-, &khgr;2, or Fisher's exact test, as appropriate. Newborn outcomes did not differ between women with term pregnancies who had periodontal disease as compared to women who did not have periodontal disease during their pregnancy (&khgr; 2 = 0.09, p = 0.764). Furthermore, the outcomes of newborns delivered to subjects who received active versus placebo treatment for periodontal disease during their pregnancy did not differ (&khgr;2 = 0.178, p = 0.673). Therefore, the current investigation supports the lack of an association between maternal oral health and newborn outcomes at term. Importantly, exposure to periodontal treatment during pregnancy does not appear to be associated with adverse outcomes at term. The information obtained from this investigation has important implications for providers, policymakers and insurers.

Notes:

Adviser: Marilyn Stringer.

Thesis (Ph.D. in Nursing) -- University of Pennsylvania, 2008.

Includes bibliographical references.

Local Notes:

University Microfilms order no.: 3346179