Awareness, attitude, and practices toward maintenance of oral health among pregnant women and oral health awareness and attitude among gynecologists in Hubli and Dharwad

Abstract

Various physiological conditions can bring certain reversible changes in oral health in a women’s lifetime. Conditions such as puberty, pregnancy, and menopause also have a considerable effect on women’s oral health.[1] Moreover, expectant women are susceptible to gingival and periodontal diseases in particular. Pregnant women may not experience symptoms until advanced stages of the disease and therefore, unknowingly experience increased perinatal risk. Premature birth, low birth weight babies, pre-eclampsia, ulcerations of the gingival tissue, pregnancy granuloma, and tooth erosion are few of the associated risks that are involved when there is lack of awareness among expectant mothers.[2-5] Furthermore, practices such as intake of certain drugs such as tetracycline, chloramphenicol, and aspirin and exposure to radiation,[6,7] and practices such as smoking and alcoholism furthermore carry adverse pregnancy outcome or birth defects. Many women fail to understand the importance of oral care in pregnancy, while others experience barriers to care. The period where dental treatment should be taken is also of considerable interest to a pregnant woman and therefore pregnant population poses a unique situation to assess oral health knowledge. Although there is ample literature regarding the oral health status of expecting mothers, insufficient data are available from Indian subcontinent regarding their awareness and motivation of these pregnant women toward the maintenance of good oral hygiene and regular dental check-ups during pregnancy.[8,9] Any educational program can have long-lasting impact on improvising oral health of pregnant women. Thus, a need arises to know the awareness of these patients regarding their motivation toward regular dental check-ups during pregnancy. All members of the health vocation within their scope of duties have the potential to promote oral health by supporting precise oral health-care messages, encouraging regular dental