The Maintenance of Oral Health during Pregnancy

Dental care starts a few days after baby’s birth to ensure baby teeth erupt without damage from plaque. It’s possible for babies to get cavities just like anyone else, and is one of several issues many parents are concerned about.

Periodontal disease and pregnancy is an important thing for all of us to take into consideration when dealing with clients. When it comes to pregnancy there is a great change occurring in the body, these changes can leave women more susceptible to infections within the body. So it is important for us to have the knowledge as to what we should do to help and teach our patients so they can help prevent periodontal disease as well as treat it to help better their overall health as well as their baby’s health.

Additionally, the lack of dental education of parents is a deciding factor in the condition of their children’s teeth. The increase

It¡¯s estimate that thirty percent of people with periodontal disease were genetically susceptible. Exposure may also play a role in contracting the disease. People have contracted it from their partners. Pregnancy plays a role as well because when women are pregnant their bodies are generally more susceptible. A pregnant woman¡¯s gums are also extremely sensitive. Other common contributing factors are stress, types of medications a person has taken (oral contraceptives and anti-depressants), diabetes, poor nutrition and bruxism (clenching and grinding your teeth). These factors can be changed or properly maintained in order to stop contributing to the periodontal disease. It is also important to note that these factors cannot be blamed for the main cause of this disease.

Randomization was used to generate what patient went to which group. The way the patients were chosen eliminated bias because “Randomization was performed according to a computer-generated list by means of sequentially numbered, opaque, sealed envelopes which revealed the allocation of the subject to either induction or expectant management”(Nielsen et al. p. 60). This secure randomization added a great strength to the study. The sample size seemed fairly large, 226 patients were split into 116 for elective induction and 110 to expectant management, although the power analysis was disclosed in this study and determined that 600 patients were required. Only 226 patients were used and because it would take 4 years to reach the required amount of patients, the study was discontinued. This was both a strength and weakness because disclosing this information made the study more honest but the quota needed to reach the best answers was not attained. The study for the 226 patients was pretty standard with the 80% power and alpha at 0.05. T-test and chi square tests were used to compare the proportions between the groups of people. The women were chosen based on the inclusion criteria of being 39 weeks gestation or older, maternal age of more than 17, fetal cephalic presentation, singleton gestation, a candidate for vaginal delivery, and a Bishop score of 5 or greater in nulliparous women and 4 or greater for multiparous women. This inclusion criterion was a concern because both nulliparous women and multiparous women were being tested together. This was a weakness because the labor patterns of a nulliparous woman compared to a multiparous woman are very variable and sure to distort study data. It was also disclosed how gestational age was achieved which included the crown rump test measured in 6-12

One of my patients just found out that she is pregnant, and what a coincidence, we had just had a lecture over oral health during pregnancy. I was excited to do OHI and share all the information I could think of with her. She was at ease knowing that having radiographies taken during a dental exam is safe for her baby. I think another of the areas I will focus on when appropriate is patient education regarding periodontal disease and the different levels or ways to treat it, and to inform those patients that periodontal disease can exacerbate other systemic diseases. And that unfortunately, periodontal disease is not something that goes away. I want to educate my patients and help them see the whole picture of oral health, I want to motivate them to a higher level of home oral care, it’s in our hands to inspire them and to teach them how to prevent caries, gingivitis and periodontal disease. I love talking about the benefits of xylitol with patients, especially for those with xerostomia. For those who are gum chewer lovers, why not share with them that they can chew gum and at the same time benefit their teeth by preventing bacteria to stick to their teeth, therefore protecting their teeth from decay. There are topics such as Fluoride

Oral disease is on of the most common health problems affecting children in the United States (Oral Health in America, 2000). Dental caries is the most prevalent dental disease in children which occurs more often in disadvantaged children than in others. Additionally, children with public insurance have great difficulty gaining access to primary oral care services (Kaye N, 1998; Oral health, 2000). A Report of the Surgeon General stated that minority and low-income children in the United States experience poorer oral health and poorer access to dental health care services than do their majority and higher-income peers (Oral Health in America, 2000). Each year, less than one in five children enrolled in Medicaid use preventive services (Kaye N, 1998; Oral health, 2000). Even if the public insured children get some access to preventive care, access to comprehensive dental care is much more less (Oral Health in America, 2000).

From the viewpoint of nurses who examine children in primary care settings, the history of baby bottle use and the physical examination can provide important clues. In particular, Beaulieu and DuFour (2000) point out that evidence suggestive of BBTD is the presence of a dull, white band of demineralized enamel along the gingival margin, usually found on the central incisors. Often all 4 maxillary anterior teeth are involved simultaneously.

Oral health is an important part of an overall health. Oral diseases ranging from cavities to cancer are all serious threats to an oral health. Research shows that there may be a link between oral disease and other health problems such as diabetes, heart disease and stroke as well as pre-term and low-birth-weight babies. If left untreated, it can cause more complications to the oral health. Periodontal disease, root caries and infections and other oral cancer can lead to severe pain, loss of teeth and serious health conditions. As a health care provider, it is significant to realizing the connection between oral diseases and systemic diseases so that we all can deliver our services to prevent and help treat disease while it is still manageable. Expanding the role of dental hygienists might reduce the most serious consequences of limited access to dentists, and dental hygienists are potentially well suited to play an important role in expanding affordable access (1). Collaborative practice of dental hygiene

Often, parents who have poor oral health have a history of poor oral health that is accompanied by negative experiences in dentistry as a child, such as painful restoration and extractions. This history often creates an attitude of fear and negativity towards dental professionals that is passed to their children through learned behaviors. Parents who lack a history of oral health tradition are less likely to seek preventative services for their children (Buerlein, Horowitz, & Child, 2011 and Hallberg, et al, 2008).

Caring for your child’s teeth is an extremely important part of what you do each and every day. Those little smiles are going to grow up, and as they do, they will need dental care! What some parents fail to realize is that the health of the baby teeth will often be a predictor of the health of the adult teeth.

Normally Pregnancy last 37 to 42 weeks (the average is 40 weeks). Pregnancy is divided into three trimesters, ‘first trimesters’, ‘second trimesters’ and ‘third trimesters’.

Relief measures for bleeding gums in pregnancy are that of reassurance that this is a common condition in pregnancy and that it is normal. Encourage the woman to continue to brush and floss regularly, and ensure she is using a soft bristle brush. Also confirm that she is continuing with the recommended cleaning schedule of her dentist as periodontal disease can increase the risk of preterm delivery (Demma & Grace, 2015; Jordan, 2014).

Other studies showed that women with gum disease were more likely to deliver preterm, low birth weight babies.

Imagine after years of being dead, a human body is found and all that is really left of them is their teeth. Why? It may be because of the way they took care of their teeth while they were alive and the precaution methods they were educated about. Educating people about oral health is really important because teeth are the strongest bone in our body and they even preserve the most after we pass away, this means it is an essential factor to knowing how to protect them from getting a disease and keeping them as long as possible. Most patients are not aware of diseases in dentistry. Educating the older and the young generation will help to care for their oral health.