Hyperglycaemia and factors associated with dental caries in immediate postpartum women

Objective: Dental caries and hyperglycaemia share common risk factors. The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with dental caries in women in the immediate postpartum period. It also verified whether women with hyperglycaemia presented more dental caries than those with normal glycaemia.Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 297 women recruited from a teaching hospital in Brazil (from October 2011 to November 2012). Dental caries and oral biofilm were evaluated by oral examination. The blood glucose was accessed by Haemoglobin A1c test. Information on socioeconomic characteristics, harmful habits and oral health habits was also gathered.Results: More than half (66%) of the women had carious lesions. Univariate analysis showed no association between hyperglycaemia and dental caries (p = .39). The hierarchical logistic regression model showed that the following variables were associated with dental caries: maternal education level ≤8 years (ORadjusted = 2.40 [CI 1.19-4.82]), previous children (OR_adjusted = 1.81 [CI 1.08-3.03), use of dental floss (OR_adjusted = .48 [CI 0.27-0.86]), and visible plaque index ≥30% (OR_adjusted = 1.83 [CI 1.05-3.20]).Conclusions: These findings call attention to the need to implement effective public policies directed at avoiding tooth decay in pregnancy and in the postpartum period.