Oral Health, Dental Access and Socioeconomic Status among Pregnant Women

Objective: To describe the socioeconomic, oral health status and access to dental care of pregnant women. Methods: A cross-sectional study using a convenience sample of 63 pregnant women was performed in two primary health care centers in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Oral health indicators were collected through clinical examination by two calibrated dentists using the protocol of the Brazilian Oral Health survey. Socioeconomic indicators and access to dental care were obtained through interviews supported by the same structured questionnaire used in the national survey. The interviewers included in the low socioeconomic position were those that had less than eight years of formal education and a family income less than US$370.00/month. The oral health indicators were: dental caries experience (mean DMFT index and proportion of caries free). A descriptive statistics of data was carried out. Results: A significant proportion of the interviewees (29%) were adolescent (from 12 to 18 years). 62% were at least in the second pregnancy. A low educational level (54%) and low family income (62%) were observed. In addition, 13% have never had access to dental care. Among the total sample, the public oral health service was the most accessed (58%), and the main reason to looking for dental assistance was oral pain (38%). 16% were caries free and the mean DMFT index was 6 being the decay component the most present (mean= 2.66). Conclusions: Most of the pregnant women were young, with a low socioeconomic status and the public oral health service was the most accessed. Dental caries experience was present in a large proportion of the individuals. These results suggest that access to the dental care should be improved or a better understanding of possible barriers for dental care should be investigated. This research was supported by the Government of Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil.