Oral hygiene status, interdental cleaning and perception of gingival bleeding among a group of pregnant women in Nigeria

Background: Hormonal and vascular changes in pregnancy can lead to exaggeration of inflammatory response to local irritants like dental plaque causing pregnancy gingivitis which if not treated can result in advanced periodontal diseases and consequent adverse pregnancy outcomes. Objective: Toassess the oral hygiene and gingival bleeding perception of pregnant womenMethods: Self-administered questionnaires were used to collect data. Oral hygiene status and gingival status were assessed with Simplified Oral Hygiene Index (OHI-S) and gingival bleeding index respectively. Data was analysed using IBM SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) version 25. Results were presented in frequency and percentages and chi square analysis done for the categorical variables with statistical significance set at P < 0.05. Results: One hundred and fifty-one participants with age range of 20 to 43 years with a mean age of 29.85±4.05years participated in the study. All participants used toothbrush to clean their teeth and 44.4% used medium bristled toothbrush. Two-third used herbal toothpaste. More than two-thirds (84.1%) of the participants used both horizontal and vertical tooth brushing technique. Only 33.8% brushed twice daily. Though 92.1% claimed to clean interdentally, only 19.4% used dental floss. Prevalence of gingival bleeding was 31.8%. Two persons (1.3%) thought it normal to bleed from the gum while brushing and 86.8% did not know one can bleed from the gum during pregnancy Forty-four (29.1%) and 18(11.9%) of participants had fair and poor oral hygiene status respectively. 55.6% bled on probing and had gingival bleeding index of 1 and 2. Four (2.6%) of participants had gingival recession measuring 3mm to 4mm and 8.6% had halitosis. Statistical analysis of the association between participants' perception of gum bleeding and oral hygiene status showed statistical significance. Conclusion: The knowledge of pregnancy gingivitis is poor among the participants. There is the need to educate them about this and incorporate periodontal care into antenatal care so as to increase their quality of life during pregnancy.

Does any Relationship Exist between Self Reported Gingival Bleeding; Oral Health Perception; Practices and Concerns?

Background: The objective was to determine the relationship between self-reported gingival bleeding; oral health perception; practices and concerns. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional survey among undergraduates of University of Benin; Benin City; Nigeria was conducted between April and May; 2011 using a self-administered 21-item structured questionnaire. Data analysis was done using Statistical Packages for the Social Sciences and P0.05 was considered significant. Results: Out of the 400 questionnaires that were distributed; 338 were returned filled giving a retrieval rate of 84.5 . About three-quarters (71.3) of the respondents were younger than 22 years. Males constituted 65.1 while the remaining 34.9 were females. The prevalence of self-reported gingival bleeding among respondents in this study was 12.7 . Individuals with gingival bleeding were significantly more likely to rate their dental and gingival health as fair/poor; use strong brushing stroke during tooth brushing and report worsening condition of teeth despite daily tooth brushing; express worry about the gingival color and less likely to be satisfied about the appearance of their teeth and to have received professional instruction on tooth brushing. Conclusion: Data from this survey revealed an established relationship between gingival bleeding; perceived dental and gingival health; tooth brushing force; professional instruction on tooth brushing; perception of the condition of teeth in relation to daily tooth brushing; worry about the color of gingiva; and satisfaction with the appearance of the teeth