The latest critical summary from the ADA Centre for Evidence-based dentistry looks at a systematic review and meta-analysis of obstetric outcomes after periodontal treatment that was first published in 2010 in the British Medical Journal.
A number of studies have associated periodontal disease with adverse obstetric outcomes ( pre term, low birth weight,etc) The aim of the review was to see whether scale and root planing (SRP) reduced these adverse outcomes.
The review included 11 randomised controlled trials involving (6,558 participants), just over half ( 6) of which were of low quality. The higher quality trials contributed about two thirds of the participants (4,500). There was some heterogeneity in the definition of periodontal disease. The authors found that there was no evidence that SRP prevents preterm birth or other adverse pregnancy outcomes.
