Factors related to prenatal dental care in pregnant women in maués, amazonas

Objective: To evaluate factors related to prenatal dental care and dental caries in pregnant women at a Basic Care Unit (BHU) in Maués, AM. Methods: A cross-sectional, retrospective and quantitative study conducted in the Maria das DoresNegreiros (Dorita) BHU, in the city of Maués. A total of 300 medical records of pregnant women seen in this unit during 2015 were analyzed, with collection of the following data: age, marital status, schooling, origin, and attendance to medical, dental and nursing consultations. Results: Most of the pregnant women came from the urban area, 160 (53.3%); were in a stable union, 149 (49.7%); and were primigravidae, 107 (35.7%). The majority has only incomplete elementary school, 114 (38.0%), with their first pregnancy in the 17-20 year old age group, 132 (44.0%). Regarding dental follow-up, only 48 (16.0%) of the total number of pregnant women attended a dental consultation during pregnancy. The mean DMFT of the pregnant women attended was 5.3. There was a statistically significant difference in the medical (p=0.030) and dental (p=0.000) consultations in relation to the rural and urban origin of the pregnant women. Conclusion: The results of this study showed a correlation between the dental consultations of pregnant women with low schooling, in a stable union and from the urban area, demonstrating that the frequency of consultations can be strongly associated to the difficulty in access and displacement experienced by the pregnant women, as well as the lack of information about the relevance of prenatal dental care for the health of pregnant women and infants.New studies must be carried out in order to obtain diverse information on the reasons that lead the pregnant women not to seek dental care during pregnancy.