Survey of Oral Helath Knowledge and Behavior of Pregnant Minority Adolescents

Resident’s Name: Jessica Wilson

Article title: Survey of Oral Helath Knowledge and Behavior of Pregnant Minority Adolescents

Author(s): Fadavi et al.

Journal: Pediatric Dentistry

Year. Volume (number). Page #’s: 2009. 31:5. 405-408.

Major topic: Pregnant Adolescents

Overview of method of research: Survey

Background:
Studies have shown that periodontal disease is a clinically significant risk factor for preterm low birth weight babies. Many women may be unaware of this correlation. In one study the most common periodontal finding in pregnant women was gingivitis due to plaque accumulation and periodontal status was significantly associated with smoking, insurance status and race with African-Americans and Hispanic-Americans experiencing higher rates than Caucasians.

Purpose:
To compare dental visits and oral health knowledge of African-American (AA) and Hispanic-American (HA) adolescents in a community health clinic.

Methods:
Subjects were between the ages of 12 and 20 who were pregnant within one year of the study and were patients of a community health center were given a questionnaire. The questionnaire contained 21 questions about demographics, dental behaviors and dental knowledge. 50 AAs and 61 HAs were used for analysis.

Results:
There were no significant differences in age, number of pregnancies, education level or employment status. There was a significant difference of 85% AAs and 60% HAs who used public assistance to pay for dental care. 31% of HAs and only 8% of AAs were self-pay. AAs were more likely to live with their parents or family while the HAs were more likely to live with their boyfriends/husbands. HAs were found to floss more than AAs, while AAs reported flossing more than HAs. Both groups were not likely to receive regular dental care while pregnant. Both groups had similar oral health knowledge, however HAs were more likely to know about the association between pregnancy and gingivitis.

Key points/Summary:
The younger the pregnant adolescent, the more likely they were to utilize dental care during pregnancy.
The subjects who had had previous dental visits were 13.6 times more likely to visit the dentist while pregnant.
The odds of a pregnant adolescent living with a husband/boyfriend visiting the dentist while pregnant were 4.4 times higher than those who did not.

Assessment of Article:
This was a simple questionnaire study with a low sample size, but some interesting enough findings.