PERIODONTAL HEALTH AWARENESS AMONG PREGNANT WOMEN REGARDING BIDIRECTIONAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GINGIVAL INFLAMMATION AND ADVERSE PREGNANCY OUTCOMES

Abstract

Objective: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted among 350 pregnant women to assess the level of their knowledge and awareness about bidirectional relationship between gingival inflammation and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Materials and Methods: A self-administered validated questionnaire was distributed to pregnant women visiting the tertiary care hospitals in Peshawar, Pakistan. The questionnaire included questions regarding their knowledge about bidirectional relationship between gingival inflammation (causes and treatment of the adverse effects of gingivitis on oral health of a woman and its preventive measures) and adverse pregnancy outcomes (preterm births and low birth weight babies).The data was entered into the Microsoft Excel sheet and applied to statistical analysis using SPSS (version 22). Descriptive analysis was used for comparison. Results: Most pregnant women did not know about the development of pregnancy gingivitis during pregnancy, as well as causes, effects, treatments and precautions. Most subjects agreed that oral health education was essentially necessary before the onset of pregnancy. Conclusion: Majority of pregnant women said that they were unaware about the development of pregnancy gingivitis during pregnancy, but few said they were aware of it. Therefore, efforts by general dentists, periodontists and medical professionals are needed to promote awareness among pregnant women about well-timed dental care to avoid any adverse pregnancy outcomes related to gingival inflammation.