To address this important question, several intervention
studies have been performed. Of the 16 such studies
reviewed by the authors (including the present one), 12
showed a reduction in preterm births with periodontal
treatment;13–23 again, because of varying study designs and subject inclusion criteria, direct comparisons among studies
are difficult. The present paper focusses on a related
hypothesis – that in the high-risk population studied,
successful periodontal treatment is associated with a reduction
in the incidence of spontaneous preterm birth.