Determinants of oral hygiene status among selected pregnant women in Oyo State, Nigeria

Background: Skipping daily oral hygiene procedures will predispose one to plaque and calculus accumulation, thus resulting in poor oral hygiene. This should not be the case during pregnancy, except for some reported cases of women who do not follow thorough oral hygiene to avoid stimulating vomiting, especially during the first trimester. Objective: To assess some factors that influence oral hygiene status among selected pregnant women Methodology: Three hundred and forty-five pregnant women were assessed for their oral hygiene status during their third trimester. The same procedure was carried out three and a half months after childbirth. Possible contributory factors such as socioeconomic factors, rate of dental service utilization and frequency of daily toothbrushing were assessed using a questionnaire. The oral hygiene of respondents was assessed using the simplified oral hygiene index. The index was compared before and after childbirth using students t-test and statistical significance was inferred at p<0.05. Results: The majority of the respondents brush their teeth once daily (81.2%) and were in the low socioeconomic class (68.4%) with about a third being prima gravid (33.0%), but only a few (10.7%) have ever visited a dentist before. There was an improvement in the simplified oral hygiene index following childbirth, which was statistically significant. Conclusion: Though the majority of the contributory factors that were assessed in this study did not seem to significantly influence oral hygiene status during pregnancy, women of childbearing age still need to be adequately enlightened concerning the need to optimize their oral hygiene.