Studies have shown possible risk relations among oral illnesses, mainly periodontal disease and adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as prematurity, low birth weight and preeclampsia. The explanation for this hypothesis is based on the fact that periodontal disease is an infectious state, which may increase maternal serum cytokines through the release of such agents directly from the periodontal pocket or by through the dissemination of pathogenic bacteria, inducing systemic production. This assumption is based on the knowledge that the physiopathology of the pregnancy complications cited above is associated with the presence of some cytokines in the maternal serum. The present study work has the objective to review literature in search of evidence to these alleged associations. Although a number of clinical studies have been found in this review, we noticed a lack of methodological standards, what limits the conclusions about this topic. On the other side, the fact that periodontal disease is not yet a confirmed risk factor for adverse pregnancy outcomes does not reduce the importance of oral health maintenance during pregnancy, since it is important to allow adequate feeding without pain and bleeding in order to maintain an adequate nutritional supply.
Periodontitis; Periodontal diseases; Cytokines; Pregnancy complications; Oral health; Pregnant women; Risk assessment