Abstract
The present study aimed to investigate the association between periodontal conditions and abnormal glucose tolerance (GT) in pregnant women with threatened premature labor (TPL). Fifteen normal pregnant women, 14 women with TPL and abnormal GT (TPL/abnormal GT), and 16 women with TPL and normal GT (TPL/normal GT) were enrolled. Periodontal parameters, including probing pocket depth and clinical attachment level, were examined. Detection of Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis), Fusobacterium nucleatum (F. nucleatum), Prevotella intermedia (P. intermedia), Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Treponema denticola, and Tannerella forsythia (T. forsythia), in saliva, subgingival plaque, and chorionic tissues from women was performed by using polymerase chain reaction. There were no significant differences in periodontal parameters and detection rates of periodontal pathogens from oral samples between women with TPL/normal GT and TPL/abnormal GT. F. nucleatum, P. intermedia, and T. forsythia were detected in chorionic tissues of women with TPL/abnormal GT, whereas F. nucleatum and P. gingivalis were detected in chorionic tissues of those with TPL/normal GT. No periodontal pathogens were detected in the chorionic tissues of normal pregnant women. In conclusion, our data do not indicate that periodontal disease is a risk factor for abnormal GT in TPL. However, the presence of F. nucleatum, P. intermedia, and T. forsythia in chorionic tissues in women with TPL may be involved in abnormal GT.
