Periodontal Disease is Not Associated With Preeclampsia in Canadian Pregnant Women

Background: The findings from the studies on the relationship between periodontal disease and preeclampsia are inconsistent. The objective of this study is to examine the relationship between periodontal disease and preeclampsia. Methods: A multicenter case-control study was conducted in Quebec, Canada. Preeclampsia was defined as blood pressure >= 140/90 mm Hg and >= 1+ proteinuria after 20 weeks of gestation. Periodontitis was defined as the presence of >= 4 sites with a probing depth >= 5 mm and a clinical attachment loss >= 3 mm at the same sites. Results: A total of 92 preeclamptic women and 245 controls were analyzed. The percentage of periodontal disease was 18.5% in preeclamptic women and 19.2% in normotensive women (crude odds ratio [OR] = 0.96, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.52 to 1.77). After adjusting for confounding variables, periodontitis remained not associated with preeclampsia (adjusted OR = 1.13, 95% CI = 0.59 to 2.17). Conclusion: This study does not support the hypothesis of an association between periodontal disease and preeclampsia. J Periodontol 2012;83:871-877.