Journal of Oral Hygiene & Health
Open Access

Research Article

Individualized Oral Health Education Improves Oral Hygiene Compliance and Clinical Outcomes in Pregnant Women with Gingivitis

Maria L Geisinger^1*, Michelle Robinson², Maninder Kaur³, Robert W Gerlach⁴, Russell Griffin⁵, Nicolaas C Geurs⁶ and Michael S Reddy⁷

¹Department of Periodontology, University of Alabama, Birmingham, USA

²Health Information and Business Systems, University of Alabama, Birmingham, USA

³BDS, MPH, Postdoctoral resident and graduate student, University of Alabama, Birmingham, USA

⁴Research Fellow and Professor, the Proctor and Gamble Company, USA

⁵Department of Epidemiology, University of Alabama, Birmingham, USA

⁶Department of Periodontology, University of Alabama, Birmingham, USA

⁷Professor of Periodontology and Dean, University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA

*Corresponding Author:

Maria L Geisinger
Department of Periodontology
University of Alabama at Birmingham
School of Dentistry, SDB 412
3201 1^st Avenue North
Birmingham, AL 35294-007, USA
Tel: (205) 934-4984
Fax: (205) 934-7901
E-mail: miagdds@uab.edu

Received Date: July 19, 2013; Accepted Date: August 17, 2013; Published Date: August 23, 2013

Citation: Geisinger ML, Robinson M, Kaur M, Gerlach RW, Griffin R, et al. (2013) Individualized Oral Health Education Improves Oral Hygiene Compliance and Clinical Outcomes in Pregnant Women with Gingivitis. J Oral Hyg Health 1:111. doi:10.4172/2332-0702.1000111

Copyright: © 2013 Geisinger ML, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Background: Pregnant women have been shown to demonstrate an increase in clinical signs and symptoms of gingivitis despite similar plaque levels to non-pregnant peers. Objective: The goal of this investigation was to utilize a comprehensive regimen of oral hygiene techniques and practices and to evaluate the methodology to teach that regimen by assessing periodontal health outcomes and health behaviors and knowledge in pregnant women. Methods: 120 pregnant participants with Gingival Index (GI) scores ≥ 2 at ≥ 50 % of tooth sites were recruited. At baseline, patients were examined and Plaque Index (PI), Gingival Index (GI), Probing Depth (PD) and Clinical Attachment Level (CAL) were recorded. Patients’ self-reported oral hygiene compliance and oral hygiene knowledge was examined using a pre- and post-test examination at baseline and after the study period. Intensive oral hygiene counseling was provided at baseline, 4 and 8 week visits. Clinical measures and tests of oral hygiene compliance and knowledge were repeated at follow up. Results: A statistically significant reduction in all clinical parameters was shown over the study period. On average whole mouth PI and GI scores were reduced by 54.7% and 48.4%, respectively, and the percentage of sites with PI and GI ≥ 2 decreased from 40% to 17% and 53% to 21.8%, respectively. Whole mouth PD also decreased an average of 0.45 mm and whole mouth CAL decreased an average of 0.24 mm. A statistically significant proportion of patients self-reported an increase in frequency of oral hygiene procedures and an increase in the use of all materials provided in the study oral care regimen. A greater proportion of patients also demonstrated increased knowledge regarding dental and maternal/fetal health after the intervention. Conclusion: Pregnancy may represent a unique opportunity for oral hygiene intervention.

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