Maternal periodontal status, oral inflammatory load, and systemic inflammation are associated with low infant birth weight

Background Periodontal disease and pregnancy outcomes have been claimed to be associated with conflicting reports. The purpose of this study was to prospectively examine the association between maternal periodontal status, oral inflammatory load and serum C‐ reactive protein (CRP) level, and infant birth weight. Methods A total of 156 pregnant women (age 26.62 ± 3.93 years) within the gestational age group of 13 to 32 weeks participated in this cross‐sectional study. Oral inflammatory load (OIL) was assessed in a salivary rinse sample using fluorescence microscopy. Clinical periodontal parameters were recorded and serum C‐reactive protein level (CRP) was assessed. Participants were followed till delivery, details of parturition and infant birth weight (IBW) was recorded. Results OIL was significantly more in participants with mild and moderate periodontitis as compared to those with gingivitis in mid and late stages of pregnancy. Periodontal and systemic inflammatory parameters were positively correlated. A significant negative correlation was found between IBW and OIL (P = 0.006) and serum CRP (P