Oral health status of pregnant women in Kumamoto Prefecture

Abstract

As part of Kumamoto RAINBOW Project, which is a multifaceted implementation for the prevention of premature labor, we investigated pregnant women's oral health status and assessed the effects of dental care and oral hygiene instruction. We examined the oral health status of pregnant women both in the first and the second half of pregnancy in Kumamoto Prefecture from 2012 to 2014. The Community Periodontal Index (CPI) was used to assess the periodontal condition, and women having periodontal pockets with a depth ≥4 mm were defined as suffering from periodontitis. This project covered the cost of dental checkups. Of the 20,702 pregnant women enrolled in this project, 9,527 (46.0%) received dental checkups during the first half of pregnancy. The response rate of dental examinations in Kumamoto City (63.3%), the capital city of Kumamoto Prefecture, was significantly higher than that of the other local areas (32.0%). In Kumamoto City, 4,890 women (83.4%) had dental examinations at the city office when they received a maternal handbook. Three thousand forty-five women (32.0%) had periodontitis. Among 1,605 women who received oral examinations twice at dental clinics, 698 received nonsurgical interventions. Dental interventions significantly decreased the prevalence of periodontitis in pregnant women (55.1% to 45.1%). Dental examinations without interventions also significantly decreased the prevalence of periodontitis (44.6% to 39.9%). Pregnant women living in Kumamoto City had higher rate of visits to dental clinics for checkups than those in other areas. Periodontitis was found in one-third of pregnant women. Not only dental interventions, but also dental examinations improve pregnant women's oral health status.