Relationship between nutritional status and periodontal disease among pregnant women attending Abakpa Nike health center, Enugu, Enugu state, Nigeria

Abstract

Pregnancy is a period during which one or more offspring develop inside the womb of a woman. It lasts for a period of nine months comprising of three trimesters. Obesity has been proven to have an adverse influence on the effect of pregnancy hormones on the periodontal tissue. It produces inflammatory cytokines which aggregates the systemic inflammatory conditions exacerbated by pregnancy hormones which predisposes the periodontuim to periodontal disease. The aim of the study is to evaluate the relationship between nutritional status and periodontal disease among pregnant women attending Abakpa Nike Health Center. A sample size of 70 pregnant women attending Abakpa Nike Health Center, Enugu was randomly selected for this study. Their nutritional status was determined using the Body Mass Index analysis and their periodontal health was also examined using basic periodontal probe and mouth mirror. It was discovered that 42 (60%) of the pregnant women were diagnosed with periodontal diseases and 22 (52.4%) of the pregnant women diagnosed with periodontal disease presented with gingivitis. The study also showed that 34 (76%) of the pregnant women in their second trimester and 6 (50%) of the women in their third trimester were diagnosed with periodontal disease. It also revealed that majority 29 (69.0%) of the pregnant women diagnosed with periodontal disease had unhealthy body weight. This shows that there is a significant relationship between nutritional status and periodontal disease among pregnant women attending Abakpa Nike Health Center, Enugu. Therefore this study recommend that sensitization programmes should be included in the ante natal programmes to educate the pregnant women on how to maintain a healthy body balance and improve oral hygiene especially during pregnancy.