Dental caries and periodontal disease among U.S. pregnant women and nonpregnant women of reproductive age, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999–2004

Abstract

Objectives This study assessed and compared the prevalence and severity of dental caries and the prevalence of periodontal disease among pregnant and nonpregnant women of reproductive age (15–44 years) using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, NHANES (1999–2004). Methods Estimates were derived from a sample of 897 pregnant women and 3,971 nonpregnant women. Chi-square and two-sample t-tests were used to assess differences between groups stratified by age, race/ethnicity, education, and poverty. Bonferroni method was applied to adjust for multiple comparisons. Results In general, there were no statistically significant differences in the prevalence estimates of dental caries and periodontal disease between pregnant women and nonpregnant women. However, results showed significant differences when stratified by sociodemographic characteristics. For example, the prevalence of untreated dental caries among women aged 15–24 years was significantly higher in pregnant women than in nonpregnant women (41 percent versus 24 percent, P=0.001). Regardless of their pregnancy status, racial/ethnic minorities or women with less education or lower family income had higher prevalence of untreated dental caries, severity of dental caries, and periodontal disease compared to the respective reference groups of non-Hispanic whites or women with more education or higher family income. Conclusion Results of this study show few clinical differences in dental caries and periodontal disease between pregnant and nonpregnant women but persistent disparities by sociodemographic characteristics. In order to reduce oral health disparities in the United States, it is important to improve access to oral health care particularly among vulnerable groups. Integrating oral health into the overall health care could benefit and improve women’s oral health outcomes.

Predictive data mining for diagnosing periodontal disease: the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (KNHANES V and VI) from 2010 to 2015

“…This study found that a lower level of education (up to elementary school) and severe stress were significant risk factors for PD in rural areas. Many previous studies have also found that the risk of PD is inversely correlated with the level of education, and that stress and psychological factors such as depression, anxiety, and emotional and work stress are potential risk indicators or risk factors for PD . Excessive stress not only exerts an indirect negative effect when combined with smoking and alcohol intake, but also reportedly leads directly to physiological changes in the periodontium .…”

Microbial biogeography and ecology of the mouth and implications for periodontal diseases

“…What might explain these patterns of periodontal disease? In addition to elements of interpersonal variability, including host genetics, comorbid medical conditions, social determinants, and lifestyle and behavioral habits, the local tooth environment likely contributes to the spatial patterning of dental disease 75,76 , which is mediated in part by the microbiota.…”

Dental prenatal care in pregnancy

“…Within the reproductive health care cycle, the antenatal care comprises important health care functions, including health promotion, screening, diagnosis and prevention of diseases [12]. Thus, dental antenatal cares are of great relevance for promoting maternal and child health [13][14][15], since pregnant women represent a risk group for oral diseases due to their physical, biological, hormonal and behavioral changes, and the high prevalence of dental caries and periodontal diseases in pregnancy [16][17][18][19][20][21][22]. There are also indications that periodontal diseases may be associated with low-birth-weight newborns and preterm births [23,24].…”