HEALTH MANAGEMENT OF ORAL AND CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH OF PREGNANT WOMEN AND NEWBORNS.

Objective: The aim of the report was to sum up all the results from the project that was conducted in three phases during a three-years period, to present the correlation and influence of dietary habits during pregnancy and the cardiovascular development in new-borns. Materials and methods: It was designed as a cohort study, including pregnant women (n=43) selected by random selection from a total number of pregnant women examined in private clinics in Mostar, Sarajevo and Komiža (Croatia). Results: Newborns from mothers with unhealthy eating habits - foods that caused a tooth decay - had significantly higher values of the right carotid artery intima-media thickness (p=0.046). There was a statistically significant difference in the diameter of the descending aorta, with larger diameters in children whose mothers had poor eating habits (p=0.021). New-borns from mothers with fibre-rich, lower-fat eating habits had higher pulmonary artery flow rate (p=0.039). Oral health was examined with the Decay-missing-filled index (DMF). Ejection fraction (FS%) was significantly higher in the group of new-borns whose mothers had a larger DMF index (p=0.03). Conclusion: Dietary habits and oral health during pregnancy significantly affect the diameter of blood vessels and the flow rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]