Periodontitis and pre-eclampsia among pregnant women in Rwanda: A case-control study

Introduction Several studies have indicated that the presence of periodontitis during pregnancy could increase the risk of developing pre-eclampsia, thereby negatively influencing pregnancy outcomes for both the mother and child. Notably, despite the high prevalence of both periodontitis and adverse pregnancy outcomes in Rwanda, there exists a crucial evidence gap concerning the precise relationship between periodontitis and pre-eclampsia. Objectives The aim of this study was to assess the association between periodontitis and pre-eclampsia amongst pregnant women in Rwanda. Methods and materials Employing an unmatched 1:2 case-control design, we studied 52 pre-eclamptic and 104 non-pre-eclamptic pregnant women aged >= 18 years at two referral hospitals in Rwanda. Pre-eclampsia was defined as a systolic blood pressure >= 140 and diastolic blood pressure >= 90 mm Hg, diagnosed after 20 weeks of gestation and proteinuria of >= 300mL in 24 hours of urine collection. Periodontitis was defined as the presence of two or more teeth with one or more sites with a pocket depth >= 4mm and clinical attachment loss >3 mm at the same site, assessed through clinical attachment loss measurement. Bivariate analysis and logistic regression were used to estimate Odds ratio (ORs) and 95% confidence interval. Results The prevalence of periodontitis was significantly higher among women with pre-eclampsia, compared to pregnant women without pre-eclampsia, at 90.4% and 55.8%, respectively (p< 0.001). Pregnant Women with periodontitis were 3.85 times more likely to develop pre-eclampsia after controlling for relevant confounders (adjusted Odds Ratio [aOR] = 3.85, 95%CI = 1.14-12.97, p<0.05). Conclusion This study results indicates that periodontitis is significantly associated with pre-eclampsia among pregnant women in Rwanda. These findings suggest that future research should explore whether enhancing periodontal health during pregnancy could contribute to reducing pre-eclampsia in this specific population.