Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Pregnant Women regarding Oral Health Status and Treatment Needs following Oral Health Education in Pune District of Maharashtra: A Longitudinal Hospital-based Study

Abstract

Introduction: Pregnancy is a natural process that may create some changes in different parts of the body including the oral cavity. These changes will lead to oral diseases if enough and timely care of oral cavity is not taken. Women may experience increased gingivitis or pregnancy gingivitis beginning in the second or third month of pregnancy that increases in severity throughout the duration of pregnancy. To motivate the patient toward oral health and implement the needed prophylactic measures, a longitudinal study was planned to observe the effect of oral health education during pregnancy on knowledge, attitude, practice, oral health status, and treatment needs (TNs) of pregnant women belonging to different socioeconomic groups. socioeconomic groups to assess the effect of oral health education on knowledge, attitude, practice, oral health status, and TNs. The demographic details, knowledge, attitude, and practice of pregnant women, and oral health status were collected through a predesigned questionnaire by a principal investigator through an interview. Oral health examination was carried out to assess oral health status using revised World Health Organization Proforma 1997, and oral health education was given through PowerPoint presentation to the participants in local language, i.e., Marathi, after collecting the baseline data. Reinforcement of oral health education and blanket referral was done at 14th week, and follow-up data were collected at 28th week of gestation. The demographic details, such as age, sex, education, occupation, income, and the questions based on knowledge, attitude, and practice among participants were analyzed using number, percentage, and mean. Materials and methods:Results: At baseline, knowledge was limited, attitude was positive, while the practice was poor regarding oral health care during pregnancy in pregnant women belonging to different socioeconomic groups. After oral health education and blanket referral, at 28th week of gestation, knowledge regarding oral health care improved drastically, attitude toward oral health became more positive, whereas practice did not change much among all the pregnant women belonging to different socioeconomic groups, probably indicating sociocultural influences. Conclusion:Intensive oral health education during pregnancy leads to drastic improvement in knowledge and attitude. Practice, gingival health, and the number of filled teeth also improved to some extent.Clinical significance: Regular oral health education programs should be conducted at community level among pregnant woman to reduce the burden of oral diseases.

Sociodemographic Differences in Health Awareness and Oral Health in Pregnant Women

“…Studies with a similar design have recorded the plaque index, among other things 11 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 . This provides information about the study participantʼs current oral hygiene.…”

Oral health status in relation to socioeconomic and behavioral factors among pregnant women: a community-based cross-sectional study

“…Although oral health in pregnancy is an important issue in pregnancy health, few epidemiological studies have reported clinical oral health indices in the population. A search in PubMed database with Mesh keywords of "pregnant women" and "oral health" in May 2019 resulted in finding 34 papers, from which only four contained information regarding clinical oral health examination [16][17][18][19]. This shortage of literature may be because of neglected oral health as a part of needed maternal care and less dental visits in pregnancy.…”

Knowledge, attitude and practice of oral healthcare among pregnant women in Assiut, Egypt

“…14,19 On the other hand; Chawla et al reported that only less than one tenth of the pregnant women brushed their teeth twice a day. 12 Findings of the current study showed that slightly more than one quarter of the pregnant women visited the dentist during the last six months; more than one half of them were suffered from painful teeth. This agreed with Afshar et al who reported that more than one quarter of the pregnant women visited dentist during the last six months; more than one third of them went for tooth extraction.…”

“…The same finding was reported by Amit et al 5 and Chawla et al observed that only more than one tenth visited a dentist every 6 month. 12 In the present study; the majority of the pregnant women didn't visit the dental clinic during pregnancy as a periodical checkup. This could be due to lack of knowledge about the importance of oral health in pregnancy and also lack of encouragement from their obstetric provider.…”

“…However, while oral health is now accepted as an important component of general wellbeing of pregnant women in developed countries it remains an underrated component in developing countries. 12 Prevention of oral and dental problems and their complications during pregnancy is possible through having pregnant women expressing appropriate knowledge, attitude and practices. This study provides a small insight into the current situation of oral and dental healthcare practices among pregnant women and it will also help in raising awareness about the importance of good oral and dental healthcare during pregnancy.…”