Effectiveness of Oral Hygiene among Pregnant Women and its Effects on Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes: A Systematic Review

Background: Research indicates that the poor oral hygiene can increase the risk of developing adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as preterm birth, low birth weight, and preeclampsia. However, the results are long debated. Objective: To evaluate the association between oral hygiene status and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Methods: Various reputed electronic databases were searched with predefined eligibility criteria by two independent reviewers. The search was made comprehensively. Only randomized controlled trials assessing the association between oral hygiene status and adverse pregnancy outcomes were included. To assess the quality of the included studies, the RoB 2 tool was used. Results: A total of nine randomized controlled studies were included. The current systematic review findings confirmed a positive correlation between the poor oral hygiene status and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Conclusion: The results of the current study confirmed the causal relation between the oral hygiene maintenance and decreased risk of developing adverse pregnancy outcomes, thereby emphasizing the need for oral hygiene awareness and education during pregnancy and also integrating preventive oral hygiene practices into prenatal care for improved pregnancy outcomes.