Assessment of Systemic and Periodontal Conditions in Pregnant Women and Their Impact on Neonatal Birth Weight: A Prospective Cohort Study

Bruno Gualtieri Jesuino, Gerson Aparecido Foratori-Junior, Ana Virgínia Santana Sampaio Castilho, Ana Carolina da Silva Pinto, Gabriela de Figueiredo Meira and Sílvia Helena de Carvalho Sales-Peres ()
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Bruno Gualtieri Jesuino: Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Orthodontics and Collective Health, Bauru School of Dentistry, University of São Paulo, Bauru 05508-220, São Paulo, Brazil
Gerson Aparecido Foratori-Junior: Department of Biological Sciences, Bauru School of Dentistry, University of São Paulo, Bauru 05508-220, São Paulo, Brazil
Ana Virgínia Santana Sampaio Castilho: Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Orthodontics and Collective Health, Bauru School of Dentistry, University of São Paulo, Bauru 05508-220, São Paulo, Brazil
Ana Carolina da Silva Pinto: Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Orthodontics and Collective Health, Bauru School of Dentistry, University of São Paulo, Bauru 05508-220, São Paulo, Brazil
Gabriela de Figueiredo Meira: Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Orthodontics and Collective Health, Bauru School of Dentistry, University of São Paulo, Bauru 05508-220, São Paulo, Brazil
Sílvia Helena de Carvalho Sales-Peres: Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Orthodontics and Collective Health, Bauru School of Dentistry, University of São Paulo, Bauru 05508-220, São Paulo, Brazil

IJERPH, 2025, vol. 22, issue 3, 1-11

Abstract: The aim of this study was to assess some variables of women in the 27th week of pregnancy and after childbirth, in addition to determining which of these variables were associated with low birth weight during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. The patients were divided into two groups: mothers with normal-weight babies (G1 = 60) and mothers with below-normal-weight babies (G2 = 16). The variables assessed were education, monthly family income, anthropometric parameters, systemic health, periodontal condition, oral hygiene habits, Oral Health Impact Profile–14 results, data from the babies at birth, and a COVID-19 diagnosis during pregnancy. The mothers in G1 showed greater weight gain during pregnancy. There was an increase in tooth plaque percentage, probing pocket depth, and clinical attachment level during the study period for both groups and an increase in periodontitis cases in the patients from G1. The mothers from G1 had longer pregnancy periods and delivered taller babies with a higher body mass index. A one-unit increase in weight during pregnancy decreases the likelihood of having a below-normal-weight baby by 11.3% [confidence interval = 2.4–20.4%]. Weight gain during pregnancy is a protective factor that decreases the likelihood of babies being born with below-normal weights.

Keywords: birth weight; quality of life; mothers; oral hygiene; periodontitis; pregnancy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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