Oral Health-Related Quality of Life of Tribal Pregnant Women
Karthikaa Sivam Paramasivam, Thippeswamy Honne Manjunathappa, Vaishnavi Chandrashekhar Gade, Bhuvaneshwari SampathkumarAbstract
Background:
Oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) evaluates how oral health affects overall well-being, including physical, emotional, and social aspects. During pregnancy, oral health issues can greatly impact a woman’s health.
Aim:
Hence, this study aims to investigate the factors affecting OHRQoL and oral health during pregnancy, comparing tribal and nontribal pregnant women to identify disparities and propose improvements.
Settings and Design:
This comparative cross-sectional study was carried out in primary health centers in Salem district from April 2022 to September 2023.
Materials and Methods:
A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted with 100 pregnant women each from tribal and nontribal areas, selected through purposive sampling. Ethical approval was obtained. The Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) questionnaire, translated into Tamil and validated for reliability, was used. Clinical examinations were performed by a trained dentist. Data were analyzed using SPSS 20.0, with logistic regression analysis applied to determine significant predictors.
Results:
The majority of women in both the groups reported no impact on OHRQOL, with 46% of tribal and 67% of nontribal women scoring in this category. Tribal women had lower OHRQoL scores compared to nontribal women, particularly in the “functional limitation” domain. Education was inversely related to OHRQoL. Significant predictors included the number of pregnancies and age.
Conclusion:
Enhancing oral health knowledge and awareness among tribal pregnant women is crucial, as nontribal women demonstrated better OHRQoL and oral hygiene practices. Interdisciplinary preventive programs, outreach efforts, and policy development are needed to improve oral health and overall OHRQoL among pregnant women, focusing on removing barriers to accessing care.