INFLUENCE OF SOCIO-CULTURAL VARIABLES ON PERIODONTAL CONDITIONS IN PREGNANT WOMEN

Abstract

Pregnancy is associated with several physiological and hormonal changes in a females body. One of these hormonal changes is periodontal disease which has an established relationship with pregnancy. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the frequency of gingivitis, gingival recession and pregnancy tumor in pregnant women seen at Dow International Medical College OPD & Hospital and their relationship with socio-demographic and different clinical variables. A crosssectional survey was carried out on 60 pregnant females using a close-ended questionnaire, followed by a clinical examination with convenience sampling. Information about the socio-demographic characteristics, trimester of pregnancy, number of pregnancy, oral hygiene practices and dietary habits was recorded using a closed ended specifically designed questionnaire. Oral examination was carried out by two calibrated dentists with Michigan O probe with Williams markings and Gingival Index, Plaque index, Periodontal Pocket Depths, Gingival recession was recorded from each participant. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 20. Results show that the frequency of gingivitis among pregnant females was 66.66%. The frequency in 1st, 2nd and 3rd trimester was 6.66%, 13.33% and 46.66% respectively. The frequency of pregnancy tumors in 1st and 3rd trimester was 1.66% whereas no cases were seen in 2nd trimester. The frequency of recession reported was 11.6% with no recession seen in 1st trimester whereas 5% cases of recession were seen in 2nd trimester and 6.66% in 3rd trimester. The relationship of education, occupation, number of pregnancy, socio-demographic status, dietary habits, oral hygiene habits and different trimesters of pregnancy to the gingival health parameters showed a negative association (p-value>0.05). Thus, no significant effect of the socio-demographic status on the gingival health of the pregnant females was observed in this study.