Assess the knowledge, attitudes & practices of pregnant women regarding oral hygiene, & investigate whether women have any concept of oral health problems related to pregnancy.
MATERIALS & METHODS:
The study design of present research was cross–sectional & non-experimental. Convenience Sampling Technique was used to collect data, after obtaining approval from the Institutional Review Board (IRB), from 570 patients visiting the Gynecology OPD, Civil Hospital Karachi, Pakistan. All the patients were interviewed using a questionnaire based on different questions regarding socio-demographics, clinical variables (health status, gestation period, previous pregnancies) & knowledge, attitude & practice of oral health. Data was analyzed statistically using SPSS version 16.0.
RESULTS:
Majority (70%) of the women belong to a low socio-economic status. When asked about dental problems during pregnancy, 44.8% experienced dental pain, 36.5% experienced gum bleeding, & 18.7% experienced gum swelling. Approximately two-thirds (66%) of them had never visited a dentist, of which 49.8% perceived that they did not feel the need to go to the dentist, while 35% expressed fear & high fees to be a barrier. Another significant finding was that only 36.5% would refer to dentist if they had any dental problem during pregnancy, while the rest would self-medicate or ask a family member (23.7%), refer to a family doctor (15.8%) or their gynecologist (12.8%). Furthermore, an astonishing 62.8% did not agree that there is a link between oral health & pregnancy.
CONCLUSIONS:
The education & enlightenment of pregnant woman in terms of oral health & dental care is crucial, for which the preliminary step is to establish a method of spreading awareness regarding the proven relationship between oral health & pregnancy.
Key words: Pregnancy
oral health
awareness
knowledge
women
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