Percepção das condições de saúde bucal por gestantes atendidas em uma unidade de saúde no município de Araraquara, São Paulo, Brasil

Abstract

Objectives: to assess oral healthcare conditions of a group of pregnant women through the application of the General Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI). Methods: fifty three pregnant women clients of the Basic Oral Health Clinic in Araraquara São Paulo were enrolled in the program. A questionnaire with the GOHAI rating questions, questions related to self-perception of oral conditions and to social and demographic characteristics was applied. Through these Mann-Whitney and Kruskall-Wallis non-paramedic tests, the association of social variables and self-perception of the GOHAI rates were determined. Results: oral conditions perception as measured by the GOHAI index was positive and presented a median value of 31,6. Subjective data indicated that only 12,0% of the pregnant women rated their oral condition as "bad", the majority did not disclose any dental problem, although 58,7% reported gum problems. Issues such as pain and/or discomfort were the ones more closely perceived by the pregnant women. Conclusions: pregnant women had a positive assessment of their oral conditions with the GOHAI rating associated to self-perception variables. This index could be applied to population groups such as pregnant women, enabling educational and/or preventive measures focused on their real needs.