Objective:

To determine the frequency of attendance to the dental care clinic during pregnancy in women coming to their first neonatal follow-up visit in the same institution where they were delivered, and to explore associations between oral hygiene habits, health habits, knowledge and beliefs, and attendance to dental care appointments.

Materials and methods:

Descriptive, cross-sectional study that included 682 women coming to the first neonatal follow-up visit and who were delivered in the same Level II institution located in a low-income area in Bogotá, during 2011 and 2012. The variables measured included social and demographic factors, factors associated with oral health, life-style, knowledge about oral health and pregnancy. The knowledge about the effect of pregnancy on oral health and about the effect of poor oral health on the outcome of pregnancy was explored. A logistic regression model was used to explore associations between oral hygiene habits, health habits, knowledge and beliefs, and attendance to the dental care clinic.

Results:

Prevalence of attendance to the dental care clinic was 75.9 %. The variable with the highest positive association with attendance to the dental clinic was referral to the dentist (OR = 25,90; 95 % CI: 14.60-45.96). The variable with the highest negative association was lack of knowledge of the impact of periodontal disease on perinatal outcomes (OR= 0.61; 95 % CI: 0.38-0.97) and failure to visit the dentist regularly before pregnancy (OR= 0.49; 95 % CI: 0.29-0.82).

Conclusions:

The prevalence of attendance to the dental care clinic during pregnancy was high. It is important to educate patients regarding the potential consequences of poor oral health for the good course of the pregnancy.

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