Social capital and oral health-related quality of life in pregnant women using public health services

Although social capital can significantly impact oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL), evidence of this association remains limited during pregnancy. We assessed the association between individual social capital and OHRQoL among pregnant women in public health services. This cross-sectional study assessed a representative sample of pregnant women grouped into 25 Brazilian public health units in 2022. Sociodemographic, individual social capital (social networks and social support), and health behaviour characteristics were collected through a questionnaire. Participants were also clinically examined for gingivitis and dental caries experience. The outcome OHRQoL was assessed using the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) questionnaire. Multilevel Poisson regression models with a hierarchical approach were used to assess the associations between social capital and overall OHIP-14 score. The results are presented as rate ratio (RR) and 95% confidence interval (95%CI). A total of 520 pregnant women were evaluated. Pregnant women with lower social support had higher overall OHIP-14 scores (RR: 1.21, 95%CI: 1.10-1.34). However, social networks were not associated with OHRQoL (p > 0.05). High number of children, lower household income and schooling factors, alcohol consumption before pregnancy, visiting a dentist for toothache, gingivitis, and dental caries experience were also associated with higher overall OHIP-14 scores (p < 0.05). Lower social support was associated with worse OHRQoL among pregnant women. These finding suggest that quality of personal resources was of greater relevance than social networks during pregnancy.