Promoting oral health behavior during pregnancy: a randomized controlled trial

Pregnant women are vulnerable to oral disease due to physiological, hormonal, and dietary alterations. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the impact of the educational program according to Health Promotion Model (HPM) on oral health prevention behavior of pregnant women. Study design: A randomized controlled trial

The present study was performed on 105 pregnant women visiting health centers located in Arak City from February to November 2022. The subjects were randomly assigned to intervention (n=54) and control (n=51) groups. A reliable and valid questionnaire according to HPM constructs was used to collect the data. The pre-test was conducted in the groups. The intervention group received the educational program in form of 9 sessions for three months. Three months after the intervention, the post-test was conducted in the groups. Independent t-test, paired t-test, chi-square tests were used to analyze the data.

There were statistically significant differences between the intervention and control groups regarding perceived benefits (24.68±3.63 vs. 26.57±3.67; P=0.009), perceived barriers (7.31±3.14 vs.5.81±3.59; P=0.025), positive affect (10.50±1.66vs.11.29±1.34; P=0.009), negative affect (1.59±0.223vs. 1.40±1.51; P=0.006), commitment to the action plan (4.05±1.92 vs. 4.77±1.50; P=0.034), and tooth brushing time (2.29±0.72 vs 2.74±0.48; P<0.001) but no significant difference regarding the tooth brushing frequency(2.05±0.58vs. 2.07±0.66; P=0.901) after the intervention. Brushing time for 2-3 minutes in the intervention group increased from 51.85% to 75.92% after the intervention.

Education based on the HPM may be effective in promoting the oral health behavior of pregnant women.