Oral Health and Knowledge among Postpartum Women.

Oral health behavior and risks during pregnancy and after birth affect the oral health of babies and toddlers. We examined the oral and gingival health and caries prevalence of 150 postpartum women shortly after giving birth and assessed their knowledge of oral hygiene using a questionnaire. We also compared the oral health knowledge of nulliparous and multiparous women. Although most participants (98.0%) understood the importance of maintaining oral hygiene in children, their overall knowledge of oral health was medium-low, regardless of the number of previous pregnancies. Only 4.6% of women received oral health advice from their obstetrician during their pregnancy. Most participants had a high gingival index score, which correlated with dental pain during pregnancy. In contrast, the number of decayed, missing and filled teeth was significantly lower in first-time mothers. There was a statistically significant positive correlation between women who regularly visit their dentist and those who regularly take their children to the dentist. Expecting mothers should be educated about their own oral health and that of their developing fetus and children. Raising awareness among obstetricians with regards to this topic may be an effective way to achieve this.

[EFFICACY OF VAGINAL AND LAPAROSCOPIC SACROCOLPOPEXY, A DUAL APPROACH TO UTERO-VAGINAL PROLAPSE, COMPARED WITH LAPAROSCOPIC SACROCOLPOPEXY ALONE].

INTRODUCTION: Sacrocolpopexy (SCP) is one of the most successful operations for correcting utero-vaginal prolapse and achieving a functional vaginal reconstruction. The operation, which classically calls for an open abdominal approach, can be performed laparoscopically, but it is time-consuming and requires experienced laparoscopists. A few years ago, we introduced a dual vaginal-laparoscopic technique, in which we combined the ease of vaginal suturing with the advantages of laparoscopic SCP. We now evaluate the efficacy of this dual approach in comparison to the primary laparoscopic operation. METHODS: We compared the efficacy and short-term results of 68 patients who had the dual operation to that of 28 classical Laparoscopic SCP patients. The study was retrospective and included analysis of patients' records. We also called the patients and encouraged them to come for a follow-up examination. We managed to examine 11 of the 28 Laparoscopic SCP patients (39%), 3-7 years after the operation, and 40 of the 68 patients who had the dual operation (59%), 1-5 years after the procedure. RESULTS: The short-term results of the dual operation showed that it was faster, without compromising the wellbeing of the patients. For the long term results we examined the patients available and found that the subjective cure rate was 73% for the Laparoscopic SCP patients and 87% for the dual operation. However, we observed some degree of vaginal prolapse in 82% (9/11) of the Laparoscopic SCP operations, mainly cystocele or rectocele grade 1 or 2, but only 30% of the patients with the dual operation had such prolapse. There were no mesh erosions or exposures in any of the groups. CONCLUSIONS: The dual operation combined the ease and accuracy of a vaginal operation with the benefits to the patient from a laparoscopic approach. It also enabled a convenient approach to add vaginal procedures that improved the surgical results, or complied with the patients' wishes.

Viable triplet pregnancy coexisting with a complete molar pregnancy.

This case is extraordinary because it was never before described in English literature. The case describes a long-standing debate about the safety of carrying this pregnancy to term. Some authors are for and some are against. The risks and benefits should be thoroughly reviewed before a decision is made.

Prolonged retention of laminaria fragments: a rare complication of induced abortion.

BACKGROUND: Laminaria are used worldwide for the preparation of the cervix for termination of pregnancy. CASE: The patient presented with recurrent episodes of pelvic inflammatory disease. Her history was significant for treatment with laminaria 4 years before presentation. After 6 months of evaluation, a diagnostic dilation and curettage was performed with removal of laminaria fragments. CONCLUSION: Evaluation for complete removal of laminaria is critical. Retention of laminaria should be considered in the workup of patients who have pelvic inflammatory disease or genital infections and have received laminaria in the past.