Self reported oral diseases, Oral hygiene and utilisation of Oral health services among pregnant women attending antenatal clinic at New Masala Clinic, Ndola, Zambia:cross-functional study (Preprint)

Abstract

Background: Pregnancy is associated with the development of oral cavity disorders and diseases due to the increase in the levels of the hormones Estrogen and Progesterone, which predispose the oral cavity of the pregnant woman to diseases. Some of the common self-reported oral diseases in pregnancy are gingivitis, dental caries, periodontitis, pregnancy tumors and many more. In most developing countries research on the oral health during pregnancy has not been done leading to limited information to general public. The main objective of this study is to determine the self-reported oral diseases, oral hygiene and utilization of oral health services among pregnant women attending antenatal clinic at New Masala Clinic. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 208 pregnant women attending antenatal clinic at New Masala Clinic of Ndola town. All participants completed a questionnaire with following parameters; socio-demographics, self-oral care, oral symptoms during pregnancy and utilization of oral health services during pregnancy. The data collected was then analyzed using SPSS software version 20 statistical software. Chi-square test was used to determine significant associations. Results: over one third of participants reported to experience bleeding gums, 85.1% reported to have been brushing regularly at least twice or more daily. None (0%) used floss while majority (80.3%) of the participants reported use of toothpick. Majority (80.8%) had never visited a dentist in their entire life while 7.2% of the participants reported to have visited a dental clinic in less than 1 year ago. Majority (99%)of the participants had never visited a dentist during their pregnancy Conclusion and recommendations: Despite the high level of self-reported oral care among pregnant women there is great need for radical sensitization and awareness about oral health during pregnancy and utilization of dental services among pregnant women. Social economic status and education back ground do not influence dental services utilization or development of oral health diseases and. However the age of gestation has great influence of the development of certain oral symptoms and diseases.