Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of Nurses and Midwives towards Oral and Dental Health Care during Pregnancy: A Cross Sectional Study

Abstract

Objective: Oral and dental health is a very important issue in pregnancy. However, women neglect oral health in this period. In this case, nurses’ and midwives' approaches to oral and dental health gain importance. This study aimed to determine nurses’ and midwives' knowledge, views and practices about oral and dental health (ODH) during pregnancy. Methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted on 378 nurses/midwives in Istanbul. The data was collected using the self-administered questionnaire developed by the researchers. Results: The mean age of the participants was 32.89± 8.25 years, 97.0% of them were female, 92.1% of the participants stated that pregnant should be guided on ODH, and 86.8% of the participants reported that ODH for pregnant should be a part of prenatal care, but 78% of them did not provide information to pregnant. 56.3% of the participants believed that nurses and midwives have limited contribution to the ODH of pregnant. 28.8% of the participants said that they had sufficient training to inform pregnant about ODH. Conclusions: As a result, it has been determined that nurses and midwives do not have enough knowledge about oral and dental health in pregnancy.

Keywords

• Dental Health
• Knowledge
• Nurses and Midwifes
• Oral health
• Pregnancy

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