Associação entre periodontite e anemia em gestantes

Abstract

Although preventive measures have been instituted to control iron deficiency and pernicious anemia during the pre-natal period, a high prevalence continues to be seen. Chronic anemic disease can also occur in this phase, which is related to inflammation and infection—such as periodontitis. As such, this study aims to investigate this issue, based on previous studies that analyzed the association between periodontitis and other illnesses and systemic conditions. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between periodontitis and anemia of chronic disease in pregnant women. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out among pregnant women in the public health clinics of Santo Antônio de Jesus, Bahia. The data was collected through surveys that included socioeconomic and demographic, reproductive, gestational, lifestyle, and oral health questions, as well as through health records and the pregnancy information card. An oral exam, blood sample, and anthropometric evaluation were also carried out. The study participants were classified in groups according to the presence (or lack) of periodontitis and anemia of chronic disease. The statistical analysis consisted of a descriptive analysis of the variables of interest and a comparison between the groups with and without periodontitis. Poisson regression was used to assess the association by means of a prevalence ratio between periodontitis and anemia of chronic disease, adjusted for confounders. RESULTS: The results of this study can be found in the scientific article “The contribution of periodontitis to chronic anemic disease”, to be submitted to the Journal of Clinical Periodontology. The final sample consisted of 287 pregnant women. After controlling for confounders, no significant association was found between periodontitis and anemia of chronic disease. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that periodontitis is not an independent risk factor for anemia of chronic disease in the group of pregnant women studied. Considering the lack of studies on this topic, further research should be done on this subject.