Effect of repeated pregnancies on caries experience and dental treatment needs

Abstract EN

Background: Pregnancy may be accompanied by an increase in dental caries severity.

The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of frequent pregnancies on dental caries experience and treatment needs.

Materials and Methods: This study involved 224 pregnant women in Baghdad city (112 primigravidae and 112 multigravidae).

The age rang was 20-25 years.

The DMFS index was followed for recording caries experience.

Results: A statistically significant difference was seen in caries experience (DMFS) between the two groups (P<0.05), especially in the mean value of missing surface (MS) which was highly significantly more among multigravidae than that of primigravidae women (P<0.01).

As for the decayed and filled surfaces results showed no significant differences between the two groups (P>0.05).

The multigravidae women showed a higher treatment need than primigravidae women, in particular the need for prosthetic replacement.

Conclusion: A relationship was found between dental health and the number of pregnancies indicating a general biological influence of repeated pregnancies.

Key words: Primigravidae, multigravidae, dental caries, treatment needs.

(J Bagh Coll Dentistry 2007; 19(1): 91-94).