Introduction: Pregnancy can be a risk factor for dental diseases as oral tissues are liable to changes due to hormonal variations. High levels of secretion of progesterone predispose gums tissues to inflammation leadi...Introduction: Pregnancy can be a risk factor for dental diseases as oral tissues are liable to changes due to hormonal variations. High levels of secretion of progesterone predispose gums tissues to inflammation leading to gingivitis. Also, oral pathologies in pregnant women can adversely affect pregnancy outcomes. This may be because pro-inflammatory cytokines are released into the system of the pregnant woman, which can reach the womb, causing harm to the baby. Pathogenic bacteria can also get into circulation leading to septicemia. This can cause abortion, preterm delivery, low birth weight, pre-eclampsia and many others. There is a high prevalence of oral diseases in pregnant women in developing countries, but just a few of them actually access dental care services. This is more rampant in countries with no oral health programs and where oral health is not included in the antenatal care package. Lack of knowledge about the importance of oral health to pregnancy outcome, cost of dental treatment, as well as fear of the effect of dental treatment on pregnancy, are among the barriers to pregnant women not accessing dental care services during pregnancy. Objective: The main objective of the study was to assess the oral health status among pregnant women attending antenatal clinics in Bamenda. Methods: A cross-sectional community-based study was carried out on 295 pregnant women attending ANC in Nkwen, Mankon, and Bamendankwen, which have specialized dental units and so all these pregnan</sp.展开更多
文摘Introduction: Pregnancy can be a risk factor for dental diseases as oral tissues are liable to changes due to hormonal variations. High levels of secretion of progesterone predispose gums tissues to inflammation leading to gingivitis. Also, oral pathologies in pregnant women can adversely affect pregnancy outcomes. This may be because pro-inflammatory cytokines are released into the system of the pregnant woman, which can reach the womb, causing harm to the baby. Pathogenic bacteria can also get into circulation leading to septicemia. This can cause abortion, preterm delivery, low birth weight, pre-eclampsia and many others. There is a high prevalence of oral diseases in pregnant women in developing countries, but just a few of them actually access dental care services. This is more rampant in countries with no oral health programs and where oral health is not included in the antenatal care package. Lack of knowledge about the importance of oral health to pregnancy outcome, cost of dental treatment, as well as fear of the effect of dental treatment on pregnancy, are among the barriers to pregnant women not accessing dental care services during pregnancy. Objective: The main objective of the study was to assess the oral health status among pregnant women attending antenatal clinics in Bamenda. Methods: A cross-sectional community-based study was carried out on 295 pregnant women attending ANC in Nkwen, Mankon, and Bamendankwen, which have specialized dental units and so all these pregnan</sp.
