Oral health status and quality of life among pregnant women with oral health problems: a descriptive study.

INTRODUCTION

Oral health is essential for pregnant women to maintain their general health, well-being, and overall quality of life. The natural physiological process of pregnancy causes brief alterations in women's immune system, metabolism, hormone levels, and physical composition.

METHODS

A descriptive study was conducted among 258 pregnant women at selected primary health centers of Dakshina Kannada District, Karnataka state, India. Cluster sampling techniques were employed to choose the taluks. Six to seven primary health centers each were chosen randomly from two taluks, namely Bantwal and Belthangadi. Pregnant women were screened for oral health problems at antenatal clinics of Primary Health Centers. Pregnant women with oral health problems were recruited to assess the quality of life, and those with systemic diseases were excluded from the study. The data were collected using the demographic proforma, Oral health assessment tool, and oral health impact profile-14 scale.

RESULT

The findings indicate that pregnant women had mild to moderate oral health problems (74.8%). Oral health problems had a mild impact on the quality of life of more than half (57.8%) of pregnant women and 42.2% had a moderate effect on quality of life. Study found a significant association of quality of life with the baseline characteristics like monthly income of the family (i.e. F = 4.109, p = 0.008) and previous information regarding oral health (i.e. F = 5.581, p = 0.019).

CONCLUSION

This study found that most pregnant women had mild to moderate oral health problems, which affected their quality of life. Baseline variables such as family income and prior knowledge about oral health were associated with these outcomes. The study highlights the need for prenatal oral health counselling and the role of trained Community Health Workers in promoting good oral hygiene.