Evaluation of the Knowledge Level, Behavior, and Attitudes of Obstetrics and Gynecology Specialists on the Relationship Between Periodontal Diseases and Pregnancy Outcomes

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the knowledge and awareness level of obstetricians\ron the relationship between periodontal diseases (PDs) and adverse pregnancy\routcomes, and to compare them regarding gender, age, professional experience\rand institution to identify the pertaining issues requiring improvement.\rMaterials and Methods: Data were collected by the administration of an online\rquestionnaire. The link was sent to the e-mail addresses of 80 obstetricians (50\rfemale, 30 men). The questionnaire consisted of 23 questions focused on the\rdetermination of the personal characteristics, attitudes, and the level of knowledge\rof obstetricians about the relationship between periodontal diseases and preterm\rlabor.\rResults: The presence of gingival disease (GD) was higher in females (p=0.001).\rFemales were found to be more aware and sensitive about the relationship between\rthe periodontal diseases and poor obstetric outcomes (p<0.05). Obstetricians in\rtraining and research institutions and obstetricians in the early postgraduate\rperiod were more likely to believe that there was a significant relationship between\rGD and obstetric outcomes (p<0.05).\rConclusion: The knowledge and awareness level of obstetricians on the\rrelationship between PDs and adverse pregnancy outcomes may be influenced by\rgender, age, professional experience and institution. Active collaboration between\rperiodontologists and obstetricians will provide benefits in monitoring and followup of the oral health of pregnant women in terms of prevention of poor obstetric\routcomes.