Oral Health Status Assessment of Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Consultations in Abidjan –Cote d’Ivoire

Abstract

Introduction: Although there are evidence-based associations between oral health status and adverse pregnancy outcomes, oral health screening is not systematically included in antenatal consultations in Côte d'Ivoire. Furthermore, there are no oral health promotion activities specifically targeting pregnant women. Objective: Assessing the oral status of pregnant women in Côte d'Ivoire. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted at the maternal and child health service of the National Institute of Public Health in Abidjan. Data collected were: demographic information, education level, income category, stage of pregnancy, oral hygiene and dietary habits and oral health information received. Clinical examination was performed to assess: oral hygiene practices (OHI-S index), periodontal status (CPI Index), recording dental status by DMFT index (Decayed, Missing and Filled Teeth), and the frequencies of epulis, dental erosion or tooth mobility. Absolute and relative frequencies were calculated for the different variables of the study. Results: Overall, 207 pregnant women were included in the study and assessed for their overall oral health status. The age range was 15 -44 years and 14.0% of the women were under 19 years. Most of them were: in a couple (76.8%); multi-gestational (77.3%); and more than half had no school education (52.2%), and had very low income status (56.0%); 50.7% were snacking between meals and 33.3% had emesis during pregnancy. They were cleaning their teeth at least twice a day (70.0%) and had not modified their oral hygiene practices (77.3%). Only 3.4% had received knowledge about oral health during pregnancy. The estimated prevalence of the oral diseases was: dental caries 75.4%; dental erosions 13.0%; gingivitis 57.0%; periodontitis 6.8%; and epulis 3.4%. Conclusion: The results suggest the relevance of integrating a systematic oral examination into antenatal consultations, to raise awareness among pregnant women and to screen and manage their oral health conditions.