Oral Health-related Quality of Life Among Pregnant Women at Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia

This cross sectional study aimed to determine oral health-related quality of life in pregnant women. A total of 100 pregnant women seen at the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Clinic at Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia participated in this study. The short version of the Malaysian Oral Health Impact Profile (S-OHIP(M)) questionnaire with five-point ordinal scale that ranges from ‘never' to ‘very often' was used to assess the frequency of oral impacts during the previous 12 months. The majority of the respondents were Malay (96.0%), with a mean age of 29.9 years (SD 5.78). The highest education level attained by most respondents was post-secondary qualification or Diploma (39.0%). Some had formal tertiary education (27.0%). The majority of them were income earners (74.0%) and contributed to the household income. Half of the respondents were in their third trimester of pregnancy while the remaining half was either in the first or second trimester. The severity of impact experienced by the women, which is the mean S-OHIP(M) score was high at 10.43 (95% CI = 8.96, 11.90). The prevalence of impact, which is the percentage of respondents reporting ‘fairly often' or ‘very often' to one or more impacts, was 36.0%. Common impacts experienced by the respondents include feeling uncomfortable because food got stuck in between teeth or dentures (22.0%), feeling that oral health problems had caused bad breath (13.0%), and feeling shy because of problems with teeth, mouth or dentures (9.0%). The results also demonstrated that neither the severity nor the prevalence of impact was influenced by the women's socio-demographic background. This study concluded that pregnant women suffered from high impact of oral diseases that could affect their quality of lif

Experiences of newly diagnosed oral cancer patients during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study from Pakistan

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the scaling back or postponement of non-emergency hospital services, including care of cancer patients. The present qualitative study explored the experiences of newly diagnosed oral cancer patients during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan. Patients who attended the Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, Khyber College of Dentistry in July 2020 were selected using a maximum variation purposive sampling method. Seventeen semi-structured interviews were conducted in Pashto, the local language of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. All interviews were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim, and translated into English. Thematic content analysis yielded eight major themes: pain and generalised physical weakness, shock at diagnosis, psychological distress of the COVID-19 pandemic, faith and religion, double hit loss of employment, social isolation, social support from caregivers, and lack of support from health care professionals. In conclusion, the COVID-19 pandemic has a clear impact on the life experiences of newly diagnosed oral cancer patients. Distress due to delay in accessing health care and lack of support from health care providers are a matter of great concern. Appropriate interventions should be introduced to ensure psychological and social support strategies are in place for patients during interruptions of health care services

Factors associated with dental visit and barriers to utilisation of oral health care services in a sample of antenatal mothers in Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The aims of this study were to determine factors associated with dental visit and to describe barriers to utilisation of oral health care services among antenatal mothers attending the Obstetric and Gynaecology Specialist clinic in Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A structured, self-administered questionnaire was used obtain information on the variables of interest pertaining to the current pregnancy from 124 antenatal mothers.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The majority of the mothers claimed that their oral health status was good (67.0%) or very good (2.4%). On the contrary, most of them admitted of having had at least one oral health problem (59.7%) including cavitated (43.5%) and painful teeth (15.3%), bleeding gum (21.0%), and bad breath (10.5%). However, only 29% of the mothers visited dentist during the current pregnancy. Factors associated with the mothers' dental visit were exposure to oral health education before the pregnancy and awareness of relationship between poor maternal oral health and adverse pregnancy outcomes with odds ratio of 4.06 (95% CI: 1.67-9.78) and 3.57 (95% CI: 1.30-9.77) respectively. Common excuses given by most mothers include perceptions of not having any oral health problems (65.9%), long waiting time at the clinic (71.6%), and no immediate treatment given by the dentist (64.8%).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Utilisation of oral health care services among antenatal mothers was low. Mothers who reported dental visit were more likely to be those who had received oral health education before the current pregnancy and knew of the association between poor maternal oral health and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Dissatisfaction with the services rendered and perceptions of not having any oral health problems were the main barriers.</p

Causes of Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes and the Role of Maternal Periodontal Status – A Review of the Literature

Preterm (PT) and Low birth weight (LBW) are considered to be the most relevant biological determinants of newborn infants survival, both in developed and in developing countries. Numerous risk factors for PT and LBW have been defined in the literature. Infections of the genitourinary tract infections along with various biological and genetic factors are considered to be the most common etiological factors for PT/LBW deliveries. However, evidence suggests that sub-clinical infection sites that are also distant from the genitor-urinary tract may be an important cause for PT/LBW deliveries. Maternal periodontal status has also been reported by many authors as a possible risk factor for PT and LBW, though not all of the actual data support such hypothesis. The aim of this paper is to review the evidence from various published literature on the association between the maternal periodontal status and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Although this review found a consistent association between periodontitis and PT/LBW, this finding should be treated with great caution until the sources of heterogeneity can be explained