Abstract
Midwifery students can have an important role in transferring oral health care information to expecting mothers. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of an educational intervention on knowledge and attitudes of midwifery students on oral health in pregnancy. Study population consisted of 60 midwifery students in a Midwifery School in Iran who were randomly allocated into case and control groups. Self-administered questionnaires were distributed before, immediately after the intervention and also three months later. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire was confirmed at the beginning. Mean total pre-test knowledge scores from total 10 in the interventional and control groups were 4.63 ± 0.25 (Standard Error, SE) and 4.79 ± 0.31 (SE) respectively. After three months scores reached to 8.87 ± 0.15 (SE) in the interventional and 5.57 ± 0.29 (SE) in the control groups. Mean attitude pre-test scores in the interventional group was 27.23 ± 0.75 (SE) and after the intervention reached to 31.13 ± 0.25 (SE). Lecture-based educational intervention improved the knowledge and attitudes of midwifery students on oral health care in pregnancy. Incorporating courses on oral health in pregnancy into the curricula of midwifery programs can be effective in promoting oral health care in pregnant women.
Highlights
Oral health is considered an important component of general health and poor oral health can have an adverse effect on the quality of life [1]
Oral health is especially critical during pregnancy since pregnant women undergo physiologic changes such as hormonal alterations, diet modification and concurrent vomiting and acidity in the mouth which can increase dental decay rates
The results of our study showed that three months after receiving the educational workshop on oral health in pregnancy, the knowledge and attitude of the midwifery students improved
Summary
Oral health is considered an important component of general health and poor oral health can have an adverse effect on the quality of life [1]. Oral health is especially critical during pregnancy since pregnant women undergo physiologic changes such as hormonal alterations, diet modification and concurrent vomiting and acidity in the mouth which can increase dental decay rates. Dental decay prevalence in pregnancy has been recorded as 74% in previous convenience samples in Thailand and 99.9% in Lithuania [2,3]. Hormonal changes in pregnancy influence gingival health and are responsible for highly intensified inflammation reactions such as gingivitis (gingival inflammation). Adjustments in estrogen and progesterone hormones can lead to more inflammatory reactions and increase permeability of capillaries and collagen formation [7]. Saliva composition changes during pregnancy such that calcium and phosphate ions are reduced leading to pH reduction, which together provide a better environment for bacterial aggregation in the gums [8]
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