[Oral Health and Pregnancy - Patient Survey using a Questionnaire]

Introduction and Hypothesis This study investigated how well pregnant patients were informed about the causes and effects of gingivitis during pregnancy. Factors such as age, level of education and nationality were taken into account. Data was collected for the overall oral hygiene of the patients and differences between outpatient and inpatient pregnancies were shown. Possible risk factors in terms of birth results were also defined. Methods With the use of a questionnaire, 83 patients (40 outpatients/43 inpatients) were asked about their oral hygiene, as well as their knowledge pertaining to the causes and effects of gingivitis. Additionally, birth outcome data for 50 patients was collected for the purposes of this study. Results When the 2 groups were compared in terms of their knowledge about the effects of gingivitis, the inpatient participants were significantly better informed than the outpatient participants. The factor of education had a p-value of 0.016, meaning that this factor had a significant influence on the birth result. 24% of the participants were informed about good oral hygiene practices by their doctor or dentist. More than half of the participants subjectively perceived signs of an infection, such as bleeding gums while brushing their teeth. Furthermore, 31% of participants experienced nausea and vomiting, which is one of the common symptoms of morning sickness. 24% of participants stated that they improved their oral hygiene during pregnancy by using extra measures. 27% of participants had not had a dental check-up in over a year. Conclusion According to the present study, only 1 out of 4 women is informed by their gynaecologist about the importance of regular dental check-ups during pregnancy. This low rate of patients being informed about oral hygiene likely has to do with the gynaecologists being less informed about periodontal diseases, which therefore receive less attention and are less likely to be diagnosed. Thus, it would make sense for gynaecologists to recommend during the first pregnancy check-up that patients schedule an appointment with their dentist. The higher risk groups should be informed early on so as to motivate them to improve their oral hygiene. It is here that the collaboration between gynaecologists and dentists becomes especially important.