The association of poor oral health with the risk of preterm birth: A longitudinal study

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Mimoza Canga* and Irene Malagnino

University "Ismail Qemali", Albania
D'Annunzio University of Chieti, Italy

: J Womens Health, Issues Care

Abstract

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Aim: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the impact of oral health on preterm birth. Materials and Methods: The present study was conducted in the period from January 2019 to March 2022. The present study was taken into consideration 100 pregnant women with an age range from 15 to 46+ years old. We analyzed the following variables: age, income status, tooth brushing, dental scaling, fluoridated water, unintended pregnancy, and gingivitis. Results: The prevailing age range in the sample is mostly from 26 to 35 years old, respectively 39% of the participants. Nearly 44% of pregnant women had low-income status, in comparison with 36.3% of them who had moderate income, and 19.7% of the patients who had a high income. 36% of the pregnant women stated that they were stressed caused of the unintended pregnancy. 55% of the participants declared that they brush their teeth only once a day, whereas 8% of them stated that they never brush their teeth. We notice that 77% of the patients did not use fluoridated water. The data showed that 54% of the patients have performed the more than 12 months ago the dental scaling. A large proportion of patients 61% of them had gingivitis. The incidence of babies born Ë? 37 weeks of gestation was 22%. According to the ANOVA test, gingivitis has a strong influence on preterm birth (CI 95; 0.37- 1.09; P-value= .001). The data showed that there is a strong statistically significant correlation between poor oral hygiene and preterm birth (CI 95%; .61-1.14, P=.003). Conclusion: The high rates of gingivitis in pregnancy highlight the importance of conducting dental visits to monitor oral health. The gynecologist’s collaboration with the dentist must be close and ongoing to educate pregnant women about the importance of dental care and good oral hygiene. Keywords: Dental Scaling, Gingivitis, Income Status, Premature Birth, Tooth Brushing.

Biography

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Mimoza Canga is laureate of the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry of Sapienza, University of Rome, Italy, in the years 2000-2006. She completed her PhD at the University of Medicine in Tirana, Albania. In 2022 she received the title of Associate Professor at the University of Medicine in Tirana, Albania. She has been working as a lecturer in the University of Vlore, Department of Public Health, since 2009. She has published 26 papers and 15 abstracts in reputed journals.