Oral health problems and oral health-related quality-of-life among pregnant women

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To describe the self-reported and clinically assessed oral health problems and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of Hong Kong women in early or mid-stage of pregnancy and to explore factors associated with their OHRQoL. METHODS: Study participants were first-time pregnant women (<20 gestation weeks) enrolled in a clinical trial recruited from maternal and child health centers and public hospitals in Hong Kong. At baseline, the participants were asked to report the oral health problems they experienced and then received a clinical examination. OHRQoL was assessed using the Oral Health Impact Profile questionnaire (OHIP-14, score range: 0-56). Information on socioeconomic background and oral health-related behaviors were also collected using a questionnaire. RESULTS: Among the 453 participants (mean age=31.2 years), 75.7% reported oral health problems. The most frequently mentioned problems were bleeding gums (38.0%), bad breath (35.8%), and sensitivity to hot or cold (29.6%). In the clinical examinations, 10.2% of the participants were found to have untreated dental caries (mean=0.15). Mean percentage of sites with visible plaque and gingival bleeding were 19.9% and 57.8% respectively. The mean OHIP scores was 2.8 and only 7.7% of the pregnant women reported at least one item with negative impact. Multiple logistic regression showed that pregnant women with bad breath (OR = 2.53, 95% CI: 1.24-5.17, p=0.011) or untreated caries (OR = 4.90, 95% CI: 2.19-10.98, p<0.001) during early or mid-stage of pregnancy were more likely to report at least one item with negative impact. CONCLUSIONS: Gingival bleeding is common among Hong Kong pregnant women in early or mid-stage of pregnancy while untreated dental caries is not. Although most of them perceive having oral health problems, the impact of these problems on their quality of life is small. Bad breath and untreated caries are negatively associated with their OHRQoL. (This research is supported by the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong SAR, China; Project No. HKU782213M)