Eglė Aida Bendoraitienė, Aistė Marcinkevičiūtė, Mindaugas Gutpetris
Abstract
Aim: to evaluate and compare provider and pregnant women knowledge and attitudes towards oral prophylaxis and treatment of diseases, their necessity, accessibility and safety during pregnancy. Methods. Anonymous survey conducted at public medical institutions in Kaunas. The study involved 41 dentist, 53 midwives and 341 pregnant women. Results. Most of the midwives believe that poor oral health can lead to adverse pregnancy outcomes compared with dentists. Dentists poorly acknowledged pregnant women’s knowledge and understanding of the importance of dental care compared with midwives (p<0,05). 68,3 % expecting women visits the dentist. 88 % of women indicated that visits are safe. 83 % of dentists and 75,5 % of midwives don’t cooperate with each other. 79,8 % of pregnant women visit the dentist as they were recommended by the doctor (p<0,001). Conclusion. During pregnancy, there is a higher risk of developing oral pathology, which can determine pregnancy outcome. Most of the pregnant women visit their dentist and believes that visits are safe. A doctor’s recommendation to visit a dentist has an impact on decision for pregnant women.
Keyword(s): pregnancy; oral health; prenatal care.
DOI: 10.5200/sm-hs.2017.003
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