Assessment of Knowledge and Awareness about Periodontal Health among Pregnant Women in Benin City

Abstract

Objective: To assess the knowledge and awareness about periodontal health among pregnant women presenting at the Antenatal Clinic  of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital

Methods: A descriptive cross- sessional study was carried out among one hundred and fifty-two pregnant women attending antenatal  clinic at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital. Respondents were selected using systemic sampling techniques. Data was obtained using a structured interviewer-administered questionnaire and was analyzed with IBM SPSS version 25.0 and frequency distribution and  cross tabulation were computed for categorical variables. Oral health practices, knowledge and awareness of periodontal health were determined. Ethical approval was obtained for this study.

Results: A total of one hundred and fifty-two women were included in the study. The age of participants varied from 22 - 44 years, with  mean age of 31.8 ± 5 years. About two-thirds (63.8%), of the women were skilled workers while those with a tertiary level of education  were 73.7%. About 54.6% of the respondents were in their third trimester. Majorly of the respondents (78.8%) had never visited a dentist.  Majority of the respondents (71.1%), had fair oral health practice, while 22.4% of them had good knowledge about periodontal diseases. A  high level of awareness about oral health and periodontal diseases was reported by 18.5% of the respondents. There was no significant  association between education and oral health practice (P = 0.203). 

Conclusion: This study has shown that the awareness level of periodontal health among the pregnant women is low irrespective of the fact that majority of them had fair oral health practice  and average knowledge of periodontal health.