Treatment of Periodontal Disease and the Risk of Preterm Birth: The Obstetrics and Periodontal Therapy (OPT) Trial

Jim Hodges, Ph.D.
University of Minnesota
School of Public Health

Wednesday, May 16, 2007
3:30pm
CCBR Ballroom
Minneapolis Campus

Abstract:

In the US, pregnant women at high risk for delivering their babies prematurely have unusually extensive and severe periodontal disease for their age group. In rodents, subcutaneous injections of bacteria that cause periodontal disease result in premature birth and low birthweight, in a dose-dependent manner. The Obstetrics and Periodontal Therapy (OPT) Study asked whether treating periodontal disease in pregnant women reduces the frequency or severity of premature birth. The OPT study randomized a total of 823 pregnant women with periodontal disease, at the end of their first trimesters, either to receive immediate periodontal therapy or to receive periodontal therapy after delivery. The primary outcome measure was gestational age at the end of the pregnancy, with secondary outcomes including birth weight and fractions of babies small for gestational age. Rather than spoil the suspense, I'm not going to tell you the results in this abstract; you'll have to come see the talk. If you do, you will have a chance to meet the study coordinator at OPT's Hennepin County Medical Center site, who enrolled the most women of all 4 enrollment centers (248) and got birth outcome data on every one of them.

For more details contact 612-624-4655 or see http://www.biostat.umn.edu/seminar_academic.html