KYALE, David Sumbi

Kyale David Sumbi studied Masters of Dental Surgery in Periodontology, at the School of Dental Sciences, College of Health Sciences at The University of Nairobi. In the course he learned and specialized in periodontal diseases and their management and in dental implantology. He recently completed research on the effect fusobacterium nucleatum a periodontal organism on preterm birth deliveries among women.

Research Supervisors

DR. VERONICA W. WANGARI,

DR. HUDSON ALUMERA,

PROF. LOICE W. GATHECE.

Project Summary

SUBGINGIVAL FUSOBACTERIUM NUCLEATUM IN MOTHERS WITH PRETERM LOW BIRTH WEIGHT INFANTS AT KIAMBU LEVEL 5 HOSPITAL AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO PERIODONTAL DISEASE.

Abstract: Fusobacterium Nucleatum is a member of the orange complex of periodontal organisms, it is associated with periodontitis and has also been isolated in the amniotic fluid implicating it in preterm birth outcomes. It is proposed that it may spread to the placenta during a transient bacteremia following periodontal disease. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between occurrence of subgingival Fusobacterium nucleatum DNA and Preterm Low Birth Weight (PLBW) in postpartum mothers at Kiambu Level 5 Hospital. This unmatched case control study was conducted in the hospital maternity ward between January to March 2019. A total of 108 participants were included in the study, 54 cases and. 54 controls. The DNA concentration of F. nucleatum was higher among the mothers who delivered preterm babies (cases) 160.67 copies/ul as compared to mothers who delivered term babies (controls) 73.41 copies/ul, although this was not statistically significant (p= 0.063). The odds of being exposed to F. nucleatum was 1.8 times higher among the cases than the controls (odds ratio [OR] 1.81, 95% CI 0.61 to 5.42), however this was not statistically significant (p= 0.245). The odds of exposure to periodontitis was 1.5 times higher among the cases than the controls (odds ratio [OR] 1.5, 95% CI 0.26 to 1.63), this finding was however not statistically significant (p= 0.355). This study showed that participants delivering preterm babies were more likely to be exposed to F. nucleatum and varying severities of periodontitis than those delivering term babies.