Knowledge, attitude, and perception toward dental care among pregnant women.

Introduction: Dental care is an extremely important part of leading a healthy life. Bad oral hygiene can cause many problems in the body, which can lead to painful and harmful diseases. Pregnancy involves complex physical and hormonal changes that have a significant impact on almost every organ system, including the oral cavity. They need to maintain their oral hygiene as any infection in them can transfer to their fetus. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire which consisted of 20 questions was prepared to enhance the knowledge of pregnant women on the aspects of dental health during pregnancy period. The survey was conducted with the help of a digital platform such as survey planet and was transmitted to 100 pregnant women with the help of social media. Results and Discussion: Result shows that 53% of pregnant women are aware of the fact that maintaining proper oral hygiene prevents complications in child development. About 41% knows that the right period of undergoing dental treatment is the second trimester. About 44% agrees that improper oral hygiene leads to premature birth and low birth weight. Conclusion: The obtained results show that majority do not know how to maintain oral hygiene during pregnancy. They also do not know salient facts about oral health during pregnancy. This calls for an awareness program which will impart knowledge to them, for their and their baby's healthy future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]