Awareness of the association between periodontal disease and pre-term births among general dentists, general medical practitioners and gynecologists

In the recent decades, periodontal disease has been identified as a risk factor for pre-term deliveries. Hence, it is important to evaluate the awareness of health-care providers of the association between periodontal diseases and pre-term birth. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to random samples representing general medical practitioners (GMPs), general dental practitioners (GDPs) and Gynecologists for this study. A knowledge score was calculated for correct answers to 11 survey questions related to oral health effects during pregnancy and compared among the three groups. In this study, 133 physicians, 135 dentists and 100 Gynecologists completed the questionnaire. More GDPs (67.4%) than GMPs (56.4%) and Gynecologists (63%) reported there was an association between periodontal disease and pre-term low birth weight. Efforts to increase this awareness may prove valuable in improving preventive care during pregnancy