Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of oral mucosal lesions (OML) and oral self-examination and their associated factors among pregnant women from the 2015 Pelotas Birth Cohort Study, Brazil.
Methods: Pregnant women who would deliver babies in 2015 were included in the antenatal study. Data related to demographic, socio-economic and behavioural conditions were collected using questionnaires. Participants were also clinically assessed for oral health outcomes. The outcomes were the presence of OMLs and oral self-examination. Size, location, time of onset and symptomatology of the lesions were collected. Descriptive and bivariate analysis, and Poisson regression were performed. p-Value <0.05 was set to indicate statistical significance.
Results: Data from 2481 pregnant women were analysed. Four hundred and nine (16.5%) had at least one OML. The most prevalent lesions were exostosis (80/16.6%), coated tongue (70/14.5%) and benign oral brownish pigmentation (68/14.1%). Non-white skin colour was associated with a higher prevalence of OMLs (PR 1.3; 95% CI 1.1-1.6), while daily use of dental floss was positively associated with the prevalence of oral self-examination (PR 1.4; 95% CI 1.2; 1.5).
Conclusions: Almost 20% of pregnant women presented OML, which were more prevalent in non-white individuals. Women with better oral care were more likely to perform oral self-examination.
Keywords: cohort studies; mouth diseases; oral mucosal lesions; pregnant women.
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