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Obstetrics and Periodontal Therapy (OPT) Study

Effects of Periodontal Therapy on Preterm Birth

Status
Completed
Phases
Phase 3
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT00066131
Acronym
OPT
Enrollment
823
Registered
2003-08-05
Start date
2003-03-31
Completion date
2006-02-28
Last updated
2015-07-27

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Infant, Premature, Periodontitis

Brief summary

The purpose of this study is to determine if non-surgical periodontal (gum) treatment can reduce the incidence of preterm birth and low birth weight babies in mothers with periodontitis (gum disease).

Detailed description

Eight hundred sixteen women who are between 13 and 16 weeks pregnant will be enrolled in this trial. Volunteers will be recruited from Hennepin County Medical Center (MN), the Jackson Medical Mall (MS), the University of Kentucky, and Harlem (NY) Hospital. The incidence of preterm birth is higher at these sites than the national average. Subjects will be randomly assigned to receive non-surgical mechanical periodontal therapy (scaling and root planing) either prior to 20 weeks of their pregnancy or soon after delivery. All subjects will be monitored for progressive periodontitis and will be treated immediately regardless of their group assignment. All women will also receive essential dental care to restore caries and treat abscessed teeth. The primary birth outcome is gestational age at birth and the secondary outcome is birthweight. Maternal risk factors for preterm birth and/or intrauterine growth restriction will be used as covariates in the data analysis. The study will also document the effect of periodontal therapy on immune response, systemic markers of inflammation, periodontal infection and clinical periodontal measure.

Interventions

PROCEDUREScaling and root planing

Delivered using hand and powered scalers and with topical or local (injected) anesthetics as needed. Procedures performed over 1 to 4 90-minute visits.

Hard and soft tisse deposits (plaque and calculus) are removed from the tooth and tooth root using hand and ultrasonic instruments.

Sponsors

National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
CollaboratorNIH
University of Minnesota
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
FEMALE
Age
16 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion * Be pregnant in the first 13-16 weeks of gestation as determined by menstrual history and obstetrical ultrasound * Be at least 16 years of age * Have at least 20 natural teeth, * Have bleeding on probing (BOP) on at least 35% of all tooth sites * Have 4 or more teeth with pockets greater than or equal to 4 mm and attachment loss greater than or equal to 2 mm Exclusion * Are unable to provide informed consent or are unable to cooperate with the study protocol. * May be placed at medical risk as a result of participation (i.e. subjects with hematologic disease or other disorders tha preclude routine non-surgical periodontal therapy). * Have multiple fetuses as diagnosed by ultrasound. * Require antibiotic prophylaxis for periodontal procedures * Require greater than 3 essential dental care visits because of extensive decay and/or broken teeth and are likely to have less than 20 natural teeth following essential dental care

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frame
Gestational age at birthAt delivery

Secondary

MeasureTime frame
Infant birth weightAt delivery
Periodontal probing depth29-32 weeks of gestation
Clinical attachment loss29-32 weeks of gestation
Bleeding following periodontal probing29-32 weeks

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Apr 8, 2026