Estado nutricional e condição bucal de gestantes usuárias de serviços públicos de saúde

Abstract

Pregnancy is a complex phenomenon that can cause changes in the way a woman lives and actively influences her health status, including oral and nutritional conditions. Maternal nutrition and proper oral health are of paramount importance for achieving gestational satisfactory and preventing undesirable outcomes such as prematurity, low birth weight, tooth loss, and malnutrition of the mother. The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with nutritional status and oral health in pregnant women in health centers in the municipalities of Santo Antônio de Jesus and Juazeiro in the state of Bahia. The study design was a cross-sectional exploratory. Participants were pregnant women served by SUS in Juazeiro and Santo Antônio de Jesus, Bahia. Data were collected through interviews with application forms, anthropometric assessment of nutritional biomarkers (blood, serum ferritin, and vitamin A), and clinical examination of the women’s oral condition. This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the UEFS, as required by resolution 196/96. The data collection sheet targeted sociodemographic, reproductive, pregnancy, lifestyle, and oral health information. Also, data were collected from medical records and/or from prenatal care records. The study sample of 210 pregnant women was examined via statistical analysis, calculating the prevalence ratio and confidence interval of 95% for categorical variables. Student's t-test was used for continuous variables. The statistical program used was STATA 10. The main findings of this preliminary study show an association between nutritional status and maternal factors: smoking during pregnancy, self-reported anemia and previous abortion. As for oral condition, only maternal education was associated with this outcome. These features are the only presented research on the effects that showed statistical significance. Thus, preliminary data identified some factors related to the outcomes researched, but further studies are necessary to achieve more robust formulation of social actions aimed at preventative care and health promotion during pregnancy.