ORAL HYGIENE AMONG PREGNANT WOMEN

Abstract

Objective: To define the self-reported oral health knowledge, attitudes and oralhygiene habits, among pregnant women getting antenatal care at Kulsoom Bai Valika HospitalKarachi. Method and Material: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey was conductedat the KVSS Site Hospital antenatal clinic during the period January - June 2013. The data wasanalyzed using the SPSS for Windows (version 16.0; SPSS Inc. Chicago. IL) statistical softwarepackage and was validated visually. Result: Most of the respondents revealed a reasonablelevel of oral health knowledge and positive attitudes towards oral health. However, there weregaps in the oral health knowledge of the women surveyed. The relationship between the levelof oral health knowledge and ethnicity (p=0.856), level of education (p=0.079), age category(p= 0.166), and trimester of pregnancy (p=0.219) were not statistically significant. In addition,the women’s knowledge and attitude towards oral health was not reflected in their oral hygienepractices. Conclusions: There is a need to provide oral health education for pregnant womenduring antenatal care in order to highlight the significance of good oral health in achieving goodhealth for both the mother and her baby.