Department of Oral Health and Community Dentistry, Dental Implant Research Center, Dental Research Institute, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
Department of Health Services Management, Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
BMC Oral Health. 2020 Oct 27;20(1):294. doi: 10.1186/s12903-020-01290-5.
Complex psychological and physiological changes occur in women's body during pregnancy. These changes affect both oral health status and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL). In almost all of the previous cross-sectional design studies on pregnant women, generic OHRQoL instruments have been used to measure OHRQoL. While such instruments may be reliable, they may not be appropriate to evaluate the OHRQoL in special populations like pregnant women. The purpose of this study was to investigate the self-perceived factors affecting the OHRQoL among pregnant women.
In this qualitative descriptive study, twenty- seven pregnant women were recruited from four healthcare centers located in Isfahan city, Iran. The interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to collect and analyze the data. Four criteria of credibility, dependability, transferability, and confirmability were implemented through established procedures to confirm the study rigor.
Three major themes and six sub-themes capturing the impacts of pregnancy on women's OHRQoL were identified. They covered all areas of life, including daily life, psychological well-being, social life, physical impact, and also barriers to utilization of dental care services. Some new domains such as "dentists' refusal to treat pregnant women", "negative feelings about pregnancy" and "concerns about fetal health" were found as important factors which could influence the OHRQoL during pregnancy.
The findings help to better understand the oral health issues impacting women during pregnancy and to achieve person-centered care and improved oral health outcomes in pregnant women. The conceptual framework created based on the results of this study may help health care workers and policy makers for improving the health of pregnant women.
女性在怀孕期间身体会发生复杂的心理和生理变化。这些变化会影响口腔健康状况和口腔健康相关生活质量（OHRQoL）。在之前几乎所有针对孕妇的横断面设计研究中，都使用了通用的 OHRQoL 工具来衡量 OHRQoL。虽然这些工具可能是可靠的，但它们可能不适合评估孕妇等特殊人群的 OHRQoL。本研究旨在探讨影响孕妇 OHRQoL 的自我感知因素。
在这项定性描述性研究中，从伊朗伊斯法罕市的四个医疗中心招募了 27 名孕妇。采用解释性现象学分析方法收集和分析数据。通过既定程序实施了可信度、可靠性、可转移性和可验证性四项标准，以确认研究的严谨性。
确定了三个主要主题和六个子主题，这些主题和子主题涵盖了生活的各个方面，包括日常生活、心理健康、社会生活、身体影响以及利用牙科保健服务的障碍。发现了一些新的领域，如“牙医拒绝为孕妇治疗”、“对怀孕的负面感受”和“对胎儿健康的担忧”，这些都是影响孕妇 OHRQoL 的重要因素。
这些发现有助于更好地了解影响孕妇口腔健康的问题，并实现以患者为中心的护理和改善孕妇的口腔健康结果。本研究结果创建的概念框架可以帮助医疗保健工作者和政策制定者改善孕妇的健康。
