A survey of self-reported oral health practices, behaviour and oral health status of pregnant women attending TBA ante-natal clinics in a Nigerian rural community.
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Date
2017
Authors
Ligali, TO
Uti, OG
Sofola, OO
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
African Journal of Oral Health
Abstract
Objectives: To assess the self-reported oral health practices, behaviour and oral health status of
pregnant women attending traditional birth attendant (TBA) clinics in a rural community.
Methods: A cross sectional survey of the oral health practices and oral health status of sixty-two
pregnant women attending traditional birth attendant clinics in a rural community was
conducted using interviewer-administered questionnaires.Dental caries experiencewas
determined using WHO diagnostic criteria to measure the DMFT,Significant caries (Sic) while
oral hygiene status was determined using criteria by Greene and Vermillion. Frequency
distribution by age, pregnancy status, occupational status, sugary snack consumption, tooth
brushing, exposure to fluoride toothpaste and dental visits were obtained. Data was analyzed
using SPSS version 20 and level of significance was placed at p<0.05.
Results: Sixty-six percent of the population were in 20-30 years age range and mostly in their
third trimester. Caries prevalence was 37%, mean DMFT was 0.87 (SD 1.57) and Sic index was
2.48. Sixty-six percent had good oral hygiene.Seventy-eight percent of the population who had
never visited the dentist had some caries experience (p<0.05).
Conclusion: Dental utilization was poor and there were a number of unmet treatment needs
among pregnant women attending TBA clinics. There is need to train traditional birth attendants
to identify simple oral diseases and incorporate them into oral health promotion programmes
in order to improve referral of pregnant women, oral health awareness and dental service
utilization among pregnant women in the region.
Description
Keywords
traditional birth attendants, oral health, pregnant women