Evaluation of awareness levels, practices and attitudes on oral and dental health of pregnants

Tooth loss during pregnancy has been a subject that has been studied for many years. Especially in recent years, this relationship has been investigated in both ways. Some of these studies aimed to establish a relationship between pregnancy complications such as preterm birth and low birth weight and tooth loss. The origin of this relationship is the fact that the bacterial content of the amniotic fluid in which the baby develops and the pathogenic bacteria found in the oral flora of the mother are the same during deliveries resulting in premature birth or low birth weight. Inflammatory cytokines initiate the birth process. The increase in the density of these inflammatory cytokines in the amniotic fluid in the early period of pregnancy may cause complications such as premature birth and low birth weight. The presence of pathogenic bacteria comes from dental plaque in the amniotic fluid due to bacteremia may cause an inflammatory response against these bacteria and initiate complications. To look at the relationship between dental health and pregnancy from another perspective, it has been reported by many studies that the hormonal balance that can change during pregnancy can make the mother more susceptible to periodontal disease. Due to the changing hormonal balance, the severity of the existing periodontal disease may also increase and cause tooth loss. In this study, various questions were asked to pregnant patients who are in different socioeconomic levels. Their attitudes, practices and awareness towards oral and dental health during pregnancy were assessed.