According to the American Diabetes Association, gestational diabetes affects about 4% of all pregnant women, or about 135,000 cases in the United States each year. The goal of this study was to determine if women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) have a greater exposure to periodontal pathogens and other clinically related parameters when compared to healthy women who do not develop GDM. Of the 265 predominantly Hispanic women in New York who were evaluated, 22 cases of gestational diabetes (8.3%) were noted.

The women in the study tended to be older and were either current or previous smokers, had a significantly higher pre-pregnancy body mass index, and a history of previous gestational diabetes. Factors identified as being associated with gestational diabetes mellitus, that were statistically significant, included higher vaginal levels of T. forsythia, higher C-reactive protein levels, prior gestational diabetes mellitus, and a higher pre-pregnancy body mass index.

It is noteworthy that the clinical parameters for periodontal disease and the oral plaque levels of T. forsythia failed to reach statistical significance. This clinical disconnect is most likely due to the study design, which included only a sampling of teeth for clinical evaluation and microbiological analyses. The teeth sampled may not have truly reflected the overall periodontal disease status or subgingival bacterial burden of these patients.