Awareness And Practice Towards Oral Health and its Influences On General Health During Pregnancy Among The Gynecologists In The Chennai City

In a woman's life, during the phases of puberty, menstruation, pregnancy and menopause, there are changes in the body which lead to a decline in oral health. The poor oral health can become home to various microorganisms and source of complications. A pregnant woman is at high risk of developing various oral conditions such as oral tumor, oral lesions, gingivitis and periodontitis. This is due to their body responding differently to bacteria and plaque. Furthermore, poor oral health has been associated with pregnancy complications such as preeclampsia, preterm or low-birth-weight infant and gestational diabetes mellitus. The aim of this study is to determine the percentage of gynecologists aware of oral complications during pregnancy and also to identify the types of complications faced in pregnancy due to poor oral health. A sample population of 100 gynecologists residing in the Chennai city were given a questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of 16 questions to test their awareness and practice towards oral health and its influences on general health during pregnancy. The results showed that they had moderate knowledge but were unsure of the correlation between the oral health and its influence in the general health of pregnant women. With many studies proving that poor oral health is a reason for pregnancy complications, The questionnaire consisted of 16 become aware and involve general oral health checkup in their routine consultation to prevent pregnancy complications due to poor oral health.