Perception of Oral Health Related Quality of Life Among Pregnant Women Attending the Tertiary Care Hospital, Islamabad

Abstract

Objective: To assess oral hygiene of pregnant females and its impact on daily life. 

Methodology: This was cross-sectional survey in which 415 interviews were done to check the oral and dental health and its association with quality of life in women during pregnancy in Federal Govt Services Hospital, PGMI, Islamabad. Assessment was done using Oral Health Impact Profile Questionnaire (OHIP-14). Each individual was clinically assessed on DMFT and CPITN index. Data was collected by dental surgeons and then entered and analyzed, using SPSS version 21. Results were displayed in tables and graphs by Percentages and frequencies. A Chi square test is applied to determine possible association between variables, with a p value of 0.05 considered as significant.

Results: 15.2% of pregnant women had 1 and 2 (DMFT) score respectively. Highest DMFT score observed in the study was 8.0, among 14.9% of total sample population. Women of age between 18-26years were most common (47.7%). Majority, 247 (59.5%) participants had a DMFT score of 4 or above which indicates poor oral hygiene.  Almost 55.2% respondents do not feel relax while 74.7% participants were occasionally feeling pain while eating due to problem with their teeth or mouth. Chi-Square test revealed statistically significant association of OHIP-14 score with DMFT (p-value 0.000)

Conclusion: The results of study suggests that poor oral health has negative impact on quality of life during pregnancy.