ASSESSMENT OF ORAL HEALTH PRACTICES, KNOWLEDGE AND ORAL HYGIENE STATUS AMONG PREGNANT WOMEN IN BANGLADESH

Dentistry

Oral health during pregnancy noticeably changes due to physiologic changes and increasing plasma estrogen hormone levels. These changes lead to oral diseases if enough and timely care of the oral cavity is not taken. So, to motivate pregnant women toward oral health and implement the appropriate measures, this present study was planned to assess the oral health practices, knowledge about oral health, and oral hygiene status among pregnant women in Bangladesh. Pregnant women were considered as the study population. Data were collected from the outdoor of General Gynecology and Obstetrics Department, BSMMU, Dhaka by face-to-face interview with the help of a pretested semi-structured questionnaire comprising multiple sections, including oral health practices, knowledge about oral health, and oral hygiene status among respondents. Oral Hygiene Index (Greene and Vermilion, 1960) was also applied for assessment of the oral hygiene status of the respondent. Regarding tooth brushing practice, 96.7% of pregnant women responded positively, and 73.3% of participants mentioned that the frequency of tooth brushing was once daily. The majority of the pregnant women (86.7%) said that they use a toothbrush with toothpaste, with a few exceptions of tooth powder (13.3%) and manjon (3.3%). About 96% of pregnant women changed their toothbrushes in more than three months of interval. None of the participants responded positively regarding smoking habit, whereas betel nut chewing habit and use of Jorda or tobacco was 21.7% and 6.7%, respectively. On the other hand, only 26.7 % of pregnant women were likely to have mouth rinsing habit after having meals, and 8.3% of pregnant women regularly visited dental surgeons during pregnancy. Regarding knowledge about oral health, 68.3% of respondents mentioned that tooth brushing should be done once daily. Regarding best materials that should be used during tooth cleaning, 93.3% of pregnant women said that toothbrushes and toothpaste should be used. Though 40% of the participants knew symptoms of gingivitis or periodontitis, only 10 % of pregnant women knew the relation between oral health and pregnancy outcome. In contrast, almost all participants (97%) had good or fair oral hygiene status, whereas very few pregnant women had poor oral hygiene status. However, based on this study result, most respondents reveal good oral hygiene status, but they lacked oral health practices and knowledge regarding oral health during pregnancy. Evidence-based and intensive oral health education or intervention should be conducted during pregnancy to improve knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding oral health among pregnant women to reduce the burden of oral diseases.

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