Effect of education intervention on oral health in 40 pre-pregnancy women

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of intervention on oral health of pre-pregnancy women before and after oral health education.

MethodsA total of 40 pre-pregnancy women were selected from the Reproductive Medicine Center of General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University according to the inclusion criteria， general conditions， clinical evaluation of plaque and oral health education. Their oral health conditions were evaluated before and after oral health intervention.

ResultsBased on the oral health status survey， there were significant differences between before and after intervention （all P<0.001） in the following five items： “bleeding from brushing teeth”， “difficulty biting or chewing food”， “sensitivity of teeth or gums to cold， hot， or sweet stimuli”， "restriction of the type and amount of food eaten for dental reasons” and “medication for oral pain or discomfort”. There were significant differences between before and after intervention （all P<0.001） in four items of oral health care behavior including “How often do you brush your teeth？”， “How do you brush your teeth？”， “gargle after meals”， and “floss use or not” but showed no significant difference in toothbrush replacement （P=0.467）. There were significant differences （all P<0.001） in five items of oral health knowledge including “periodontal disease can lead to premature delivery of newborns”， “periodontal disease can lead to low birth weight of newborns”， “need oral examination before pregnancy”， “pregnancy prone to oral diseases”， “mid-pregnancy is the best period for the treatment of oral diseases”. The oral plaque index before intervention was 5.47±1.08 and reduced to 4.37±0.94 after intervention （t=7.93， P=0.001）.

ConclusionThrough education intervention， the oral health status of pre-pregnancy women can be improved. The knowledge of oral health can be improved and the level of oral health care can be enhanced. Oral health intervention can effectively reduce the level of plaque in pre-pregnancy women and improve the efficiency of plaque clearance.