الفهرس 
IntroductionOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
The events which lead to preterm birth are still not completely understood. It is a major determinant of neonatal morbidity and mortality, and has long-term, adverse health consequences. Although the etiology of preterm birth is believed to be multifactorial, the events leading to its occurrence are still not completely understood. It is still unclear whether preterm birth results from the interaction of several pathways or from the independent effects of each pathway. (Rosa2012)
Although it has been asserted that periodontopathogens from oral infection can disseminate to distant body sites and thus result in the delivery of PLBW infants, results have been inconclusive. Some studies have demonstrated positive correlations, while others have not. Although these results seem contradictory, factors such as race, geographical location, and socioeconomic standards have not been adequately adjusted for. (Babalola2010)
This was a case-control study that included a random sample of forty female patients who were categorized into the four following groups:
group 1: included ten female patients who underwent spontaneous preterm birth and were diagnosed with chronic periodontitis upon clinical examination. (Preterm/Periodontitis)
group 2: included ten female patients who underwent spontaneous preterm birth and who had a healthy periodontium upon clinical examination. (Preterm/Healthy Periodontium)
group 3: included ten female patients who underwent spontaneous normal term birth and were diagnosed with chronic periodontitis upon clinical examination. (Term/Periodontitis)
group 4: included ten female patients who underwent spontaneous normal term birth and who had a healthy periodontium upon clinical examination. (Term/Healthy Periodontium) (Armitage1999)
Samples of gingival crevicular fluid and placental tissue were obtained from each subject, and ELISA was used to assess the level of IL-17 in each sample. The results were then statistically analyzed.
The present study demonstrated a statistically significant difference between the term/periodontitis and the term/healthy periodontium groups regarding the mean IL-17 levels in the GCF samples, with higher levels having been detected in the term/periodontitis study group. A statistically significant difference was also found (p=0.01) between mean IL-17 levels in the GCF samples of the chronic periodontitis and healthy periodontium study groups, with levels being considerably higher in the chronic periodontitis study groups. These findings conform to those of Beklen et al. and Vernal et al., both of whom reported elevated IL-17 levels in periodontitis. (Beklen2007, Vernal2005) However, no statistically significant differences were found (p=0.123) in the mean IL-17 levels in the GCF samples of both preterm and term delivery groups. Furthermore, the results demonstrated no statistically significant difference, at p=0.05, between all study groups regarding the mean level of IL-17 in placental tissue samples. These findings are consistent with those of Wood et al., Bassani et al., Abati et al., Souccar et al., and other authors who found no association between periodontitis and preterm labor. (Wood2006, Bassani2007, Abati2013, Souccar2010)
Evidently, the present study is of true value due to the fact that it may be the first to measure IL-17 as a possible inflammatory marker in determining whether or not an association between chronic periodontitis and preterm birth exists. Despite limitations, including a small sample size and lack of intervention, this is a pioneer case-control study that can be added to the database of evidence-based research in this particular field of periodontology.