To determine if there is any association between expectant women's oral health knowledge with age, educational, occupation, ethnicity and residence.
Method:
Structured questionnaires were administered to every first time expectant mother that attended the ante-natal clinic at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital in Suva, Fiji, during June, July and August 2006 giving a 100% response rate.
Results:
67% of the women were in the age range 18 – 24 years. 54% of the sample were indigenous. 71% had completed secondary school education, 62 % were unemployed and 29% were in full time employment. Only 26% were aware that the best way to prevent gum disease was by brushing with a soft tooth brush and flossing. Majority (60%) had not been advised to see a dentist as part of ante-natal care. 65% of the women had not received any advice during their visit to ante-natal clinic on how to take care of their baby's teeth. Only a third (33%) of the women knew that letting the baby sleep with sweetened bottle milk/breast was harmful to the baby's teeth. Knowledge was high about smoking having an effect on oral health (93%); on awareness that tooth decay can be prevented (84%) and about healthy gums not bleeding (84%). Information about frequent snacking on sugary food being a cause of tooth decay was 80%.
Conclusion: The level of oral health knowledge of the women surveyed (100) was adequate, though the oral health knowledge to pregnancy related questions was low. There was no statistical significance between oral health knowledge and occupation (p=0.600), age (p=0.517) and ethnicity (p=0.076) in this study. Oral health knowledge was statistically significant to the educational level of the women (p=0.021).