Self-reported oral health, oral hygiene habits and dental service utilization among pregnant women in United Arab Emirates

• Published in: International journal of dental hygiene 2012-05, Vol.10 (2), p.142-146
• Main Author: Hashim, R
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Biological and medical sciences; Cross-Sectional Studies; dental attendance; Dental Care - utilization; Dental health; Dentistry; Diagnostic Self Evaluation; Facial bones, jaws, teeth, parodontium: diseases, semeiology; Female; Gingival Diseases - prevention & control; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Health services utilization; Humans; Medical sciences; Non tumoral diseases; Oral Health; Oral hygiene; Oral Hygiene - statistics & numerical data; oral hygiene habits; Otorhinolaryngology. Stomatology; periodontal disease; Periodontal Diseases - prevention & control; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications - prevention & control; Self Report; United Arab Emirates; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1601-5029; 1601-5037
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1601-5037.2011.00531.x

To cite this article: 
 Int J Dent Hygiene 10, 2012; 142–146 
DOI: 10.1111/j.1601‐5037.2011.00531.x Hashim R. Self‐reported oral health, oral hygiene habits and dental service utilization among pregnant women in United Arab Emirates. : Aim: The aim of this study was to describe self‐reported oral health, oral hygiene habits and frequency of visits to a dentist among pregnant women visiting maternity hospitals in the United Arab Emirates. Material and methods: A cross‐sectional study was conducted, with anonymous structured questionnaires distributed to 800 pregnant women who were chosen at random from attendants of three maternity and child health centres from various geographical areas of UAE, during January–March 2010. Results: The response rate was 93.7% (n = 750). Less than quarter of the participated pregnant women were in their first trimester. Almost a quarter (23.5%) of the women believed that they had periodontal problem currently, while 46.3% reported having carious teeth. More than 44% reported having dental pain, and about 40% women felt that her oral health was poor. About 60% reported having heard about the possible connection between pregnancy and the oral health. About 94% of the women were brushing their teeth at least once a day. More than half of the women (58.3%) visited the dentist during their most recent pregnancy, mostly for dental pain. Conclusions: A large proportion of the pregnant women in this study had oral health problems; however, more than 40% of those women had not visited a dentist during their pregnancy, and the majority of those utilized dental services when they had dental pain only. To provide better oral health care, more knowledge needs to be made available to the pregnant women and the medical community.