Preterm labor is defined as a birth before 37 weeks of gestation and occurs in 5–20% of pregnancies. Preterm labor, as multifactorial entity associated with a high risk of neonatal morbidity and mortality, is influenced by maternal, fetal and environmental factors. Microbiological studies suggest that infectious pathogens may account for 25–40% of preterm birth. Infections of different sites, like genital, urinary tract infections, and pneumonia, are linked to the preterm labor. The most recent epidemiological studies consistently report that maternal periodontal disease is associated with preterm delivery, as well as the association between the presence of pathogenic oral bacteria in the placenta and adverse pregnancy outcomes. On the other hand, some previously published papers found periodontal bacteria in placentas of term pregnancies. In spite of a huge research done on the topic, both experimental and clinical, there are many controversial opinions about the role of periodontal infections in preterm birth. Thus, this comprehensive review addresses this very important topic and evaluates novel strategies of preventive and therapeutic approaches.

Commercial collagen membranes are used in oral surgical procedures as scaffolds for bone deposition in guided bone regeneration. Here, we have enriched them with graphene oxide (GO) via a simple non-covalent functionalization, exploiting the capacity of oxygenated carbon functional moieties of GO to interact through hydrogen bonding with collagen. In the present paper, the GO-coated membranes have been characterized in terms of stability, nano-roughness, biocompatibility and induction of inflammatory response in human primary gingival fibroblast cells. The obtained coated membranes are demonstrated not to leak GO in the bulk solution, and to change some features of the membrane, such as stiffness and adhesion between the membrane and the atomic force microscopy (AFM) tip. Moreover, the presence of GO increases the roughness and the total surface exposed to the cells, as demonstrated by AFM analyses. The obtained material is biocompatible, and does not induce inflammation in the tested cells.