Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Observational Study
. 2021 Dec;30(12):3475-3484.
doi: 10.1007/s11136-021-02869-3. Epub 2021 May 12.

Factors associated with oral health-related quality of life during pregnancy: a prospective observational study

J A Gil-Montoya #  1   2 , X Leon-Rios #  3   4 , T Rivero  3 , M Expósito-Ruiz  5 , I Perez-Castillo  5   6 , M J Aguilar-Cordero  7   6
Affiliations
Observational Study

Factors associated with oral health-related quality of life during pregnancy: a prospective observational study

J A Gil-Montoya et al. Qual Life Res. 2021 Dec.

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the evolution of perceived quality of life in relation to oral health during pregnancy and to determine the risk factors involved in this process.

Methods: A follow-up study was carried out with pregnant Spanish women. Two oral examinations and an oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) assessment, using the OHIP-14 questionnaire, were performed in the first and third trimester of pregnancy. Data on sociodemographic characteristics, medical history, O'Sullivan Test measures, oral hygiene habits, history of caries, and periodontal status of participants were collected through structured medical-dental questionnaires.

Results: A complete dataset comprising 246 pregnant women was available for analysis. Overall scores for negative impacts on the OHIP questionnaire were significantly higher during late pregnancy (74%). This indicated a deterioration in oral health-related quality of life amongst participants. Items describing "painful aching", "self-consciousness", "unsatisfactory diet", and "interrupted meals" showed the greatest increase between the first and third trimester of gestation. Multivariate analysis showed that pre-gestational/gestational diabetes mellitus and poor oral hygiene habits during the first trimester of gestation were directly associated with worse oral health-related quality of life during the third trimester of gestation (hyperglycemia: OR 2.86; 95% CI 1.019-8.050: p = 0.043 / oral hygiene: OR 1.33; 95% CI 0.970-1.836; p = 0.076).

Conclusions: In the present research, hyperglycemia during pregnancy and poor oral hygiene habits during the first trimester of gestation led to a higher risk of poor oral quality of life during late pregnancy.

Keywords: Diabetes mellitus; Oral health; Oral health-related quality of life; Pregnancy.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Hartnett, E., Haber, J., Krainovich-Miller, B., Bella, A., Vasilyeva, A., & Lange Kessler, J. (2016). Oral health in pregnancy. Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, and Neonatal Nursing, 45(4), 565–573. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jogn.2016.04.005 - DOI - PubMed
    1. George, A., Johnson, M., Blinkhorn, A., Ellis, S., Bhole, S., & Ajwani, S. (2010). Promoting oral health during pregnancy: Current evidence and implications for Australian midwives. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 19(23–24), 3324–3333. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2702.2010.03426.x - DOI - PubMed
    1. Güncü, G. N., Tözüm, T. F., & Cağlayan, F. (2005). Effects of endogenous sex hormones on the periodontium—review of literature. Australian Dental Journal, 50(3), 138–145. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1834-7819.2005.tb00352.x - DOI - PubMed
    1. Figuero, E., Carrillo-de-Albornoz, A., Martín, C., Tobías, A., & Herrera, D. (2013). Effect of pregnancy on gingival inflammation in systemically healthy women: A systematic review. Journal of Clinical Periodontology, 40(5), 457–473. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpe.12053 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Manau, C., Echeverria, A., Agueda, A., Guerrero, A., & Echeverria, J. J. (2008). Periodontal disease definition may determine the association between periodontitis and pregnancy outcomes. Journal of Clinical Periodontology, 35(5), 385–397. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-051X.2008.01222.x - DOI - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources