Prevalence of HIV Associated Periodontal Disease in HIV Pregnant Women

Although prevalence studies for oral lesions associated with HIV infection in women are well documented, very few studies have examined HIV-associated periodontal disease in pregnant women. Objective: To determine: 1) The prevalence of HIV-associated periodontal diseases among HIV positive and negative pregnant women attending antenatal clinics in Johannesburg; 2) Their knowledge of periodontal disease and oral hygiene practices. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 140 HIV positive and 151 HIV negative pregnant women attending outpatient antenatal clinics in three hospitals in Johannesburg. A calibrated dentist recorded HIV associated periodontal disease, using the EC-clearinghouse diagnostic criteria for oral manifestations of HIV. Socio-demographic characteristics; periodontal disease knowledge and oral hygiene practices of the women were also obtained through a structured self-administered questionnaire. Results: The mean age (sd) of the HIV-infected women was 27.9 (5.5) versus 28.3 (6.1) for HIV negative women. Most of the patients (53.3% or 155) were in their second trimester of pregnancy while 103 (35.4%) were in their third trimester. The educational levels of both groups were similar, with 64.3% (18) attaining grades 9 to 12 of secondary education. One hundred and eighty-three (62.9%) were unemployed and almost 97% of the sample were African. Of the 140 HIV infected women, 34 (24.3%) presented with necrotising ulcerative gingivitis (NUG), 6 (4.3%) had necrotising ulcerative periodontitis and 6 (4.3%) had linear gingival erythema (LGE). Only one (0.7%) of the 151 HIV negative women showed clinical signs of NUG and one had LGE. The periodontal disease knowledge of the study participants was low. The oral hygiene practices of both groups of women were inadequate, with few visiting a dentist during their pregnancy. Conclusion: Although, oral hygiene practice and hygiene status of the women were similar, there was a significantly higher prevalence of NUG and LGE in the HIV positive group (p<0.05).