Relationship among hypovitaminosis d, maternal periodontal disease, and low birth weight.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE:
To determine if low birth weight is associated with hypovitaminosis D and periodontal disease among a sample of Pakistani women residing in district Jhelum, Punjab. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study nested in a large community-based longitudinal study.
PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY:
Tehsil Pind Dadan Khan, District Jhelum, Pakistan from August 2012 to October 2015.
METHODOLOGY: Women during 12-16th week of pregnancy were selected. Dental examination was performed. Probing depth >3 mm was labeled as periodontal disease, whereas serum level <20.0 ng/mL was taken as hypovitaminosis D. Mothers of low birth weight babies (<2500 g) were compared to mothers who gave birth to normal weight (>2500 g) babies. Odds ratio was applied to measure the strength of association of low birth weight with maternal hypovitaminosis D and also for maternal periodontal disease.
RESULTS: There were 62 participants in the study. The mean age of mothers was 26.7 ±4.5 years. It was alarming to observe that 53 (85%) participants had vitamin D deficiency. However, periodontal disease was only seen in four participants (6%). Out of the 62 mothers, eighteen (29%) gave birth to low birth weight babies. None of the variables were found to be associated with the low birth weight.
CONCLUSION:
The present study did not find any significant association of low birth weight with hypovitaminosis D or maternal periodontal disease in the studied sample