Oral Health and Knowledge among Postpartum Women

Oral health-related quality of life among women early postpartum: A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Periodontal diseases can negatively impact the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of pregnant women. This study investigates the association between maternal oral inflammatory load (OIL), sociodemographic characteristics, and the OHRQoL in postpartum women.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional study, breastfeeding mothers were recruited from St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto within 2-4 weeks postpartum. Mothers were categorized into "Normal/low" and "High" OIL groups based on the absolute counts of oral polymorphonuclear neutrophils (oPMNs). The Oral Health Impact Profile-14 questionnaire was used to assess the impact of the maternal OIL on the OHRQoL. Multiple linear regression analyses were performed to examine the association between maternal sociodemographic factors including age, marital status, education level, employment status, parity, and their OHRQoL.

RESULTS

Forty-seven mothers were included in this study. Mothers with high OIL reported higher impact on their OHRQoL (30%) than mothers with normal/low OIL (21%), but these differences were not statistically different. There was a negative relationship between the mother's education level and the extent of impact of OHRQoL on the "physical pain" dimension (p < 0.05), and between the mothers' age and employment status and the "physical disability" dimension (p < 0.05). A positive correlation was noted between multi-parity and the extent of impact of OHRQoL on the "physical disability" dimension (p = 0.009), and between the marital status and the "psychological disability" dimension (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

This study highlighted the significant impact of sociodemographic characteristics on the OHRQoL of mothers, showcasing the importance of considering these factors when implementing targeted preventive dental care programs for mothers.

Sociodemographic Factors Associated with the Level of Knowledge of Early Postpartum Women about Oral Health Prevention in Infants Aged 0 to 2 Years Old: A Cross-Sectional Study under a Multivariable Analysis

The objective was to evaluate the sociodemographic factors associated with the level of knowledge of early puerperal women about oral health prevention in infants. This cross-sectional and analytical study evaluated 303 early puerperal women from a hospital in the Peruvian capital. A validated 18-question questionnaire was used to measure the level of knowledge. A logistic regression model was used to evaluate the influence of age, marital status, educational level, number of children, monthly income, and having a dentist as a family member. A significance of p < 0.05 was considered. A total of 46.86%, 30.36%, and 22.77% of the puerperal had poor, fair, and good knowledge, respectively. The risk of having poor knowledge was two times higher (OR = 2.43; CI: 1.26-4.70) in early postpartum women aged 18 to 25 years than in those older than 35 years. Early postpartum women with no education, primary and secondary education were 11 times (OR = 11.76; CI: 2.41-57.43), 6 times (OR = 6.61; CI: 1.72-25.45), and 5 times (OR = 5.50; CI: 1.52-19.89), respectively, more likely to have significantly poor knowledge compared to those with university education. In conclusion, only a small minority of early postpartum women had a good knowledge of oral health prevention in infants aged 0 to 2 years. Younger and less educated puerperal were at greater risk of having little knowledge on this topic. Finally, not having basic education was the main risk factor identified.