Periodontal Diseases in Pregnant Women in Prenatal Consultation

Background: The relationship between pregnancy and periodontal health had well documented in the literature. Of many studies of periodontal diseases in the Democratic Republic of Congo, no study had evaluated these diseases in pregnant women during Prenatal Consultation (PC). This study aimed to describe the occurrence and clinical profile of periodontal diseases in pregnant women admitted to the PC at the General Military Hospital of BOBILA. Materials and Methods: It is a cross-sectional and analytical study of pregnant women admitted to the PC from August to December 31, 2018, at the General Reference Military Hospital of BOBILA/Kinshasa City. The data were collected through a survey combined with the stomatological interview. Sociodemographic data, clinical and periodontal indices included Oral Hygiene Index Simplified (OHI-S), Bleeding on Probing (BOP), and Periodontal Disease Index (PDI) were assessed. The statistical analyses were carried out using the SPSS version 20.0 software. The Chi-square tests, Student t-test were used to determine differences in the distribution of variables, and the odd Ratio with a confidence interval (IC) at 95% was used to estimate the degree of association. The results were significant at p < 0.05. Results: Of the 105 pregnant women received at the PC, 83 were included in this study. The age group between 20 - 29 was the most represented, with a predominance of stay-at-home mothers (75.9%) and married cases (73.4%), they had an average economic status (56.6%) and a secondary education level (63.8%). Gingival bleeding (44.6%) was the main complaint of the pregnant. Gestational age was a significant factor associated with gum bleeding (p < 0.005). Most of the pregnant had poor oral hygiene, localized gravidities (69.6%) during the third semester. Conclusion: A significant proportion of women had experienced periodontal diseases during the pregnancy period, mostly in the third trimester, and was associated with a gestational age of pregnant women.