Can periodontitis lead to adverse pregnancy outcomes：A Mendelian Randomization study

Abstract

AbstractObjectives We aim to investigate the potential uni-directional association from periodontitis to the Adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs) by Mendelian randomization (MR) method. Materials and Methods The present study used genetic instruments for periodontitis as exposures. The outcomes included low birthweight (LBW), preterm delivery (PD), preeclampsia or eclampsia (PET) and spontaneous abortion (SAB). The data were collected from the FinnGen consortium R9 datasets and second release analysis in Neale lab of UK Biobank data. Causal analysis uses the inverse variant weighted (IVW), MR Egger and Weighted median methods. A set of sensitivity analyses also be used to test the robustness of the results comprehensive. Results The IVW analysis indicate no association of genetically predicted periodontitis will cause the APOs (LBW [IVW OR = 1.003, P = 0.619], PD [IVW OR = 0.984, P = 0.630], PET [IVW OR = 1.005, P = 0.895], SAB [IVW OR = 0.964, P = 0.221]). Results of the other methods did not show significant differences. Sensitivity analyses showed that horizontal pleiotropy could not distort the results of the causal estimation. Conclusions The outcomes indicated there was no potential causal effect of periodontitis on APOs. Clinical Relevance Mendelian Randomization studies effectively prevent reverse causality and confounding factors. It complements previous studies, thereby informing clinical diagnosis and deepening understanding of periodontitis and systemic diseases.