Prevalence of Pregnancy Tumor in Pregnant Women

Abstract

Statement of Problem: Pregnancy tumor is a lesion affecting pregnant women between 3-9th months of pregnancy. This lesion often causes hemorrhage and sometimes pain, difficulty in eating, nutritional problems and anxiety. Prophylactic treatments during pregnancy are considered as preventive measures. Since there is a relationship between pregnancy tumor and level of oral hygiene, the frequency of this lesion varies in different populations.Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of pregnancy tumors in women admitted to Kerman maternity hospitals.Materials and Method: In this descriptive study, 745 pregnant women were examined. A questionnaire was designed to record the data including demographic characteristics, number of deliveries, oral hygiene and dental visits. An intraoral examination was done to find the pregnancy tumors. Student T-test, Chi-square and ANOVA test were used to compare the relationships between different variables.Results: The results showed that pregnancy tumors were found in 31 (4.2 %) pregnant women. The anterior maxillary gingiva was mostly affected, and most lesions (83.9 %) bled easily during examination. There was a significant relationship between the use of dental floss and the number of yearly dental visits with the occurrence of pregnancy tumor ( p <0.05).Conclusion: Based on the results of this study and considering the role of periodontal disease on the well-being of the fetus, providing pregnant women with some information about the importance of oral hygiene during pregnancy is necessary. Adequate knowledge should be given to gynecologists and obstetrics and midwives in order to persuade them to refer their patients to dentists at the proper time for seeking preventive treatments and oral hygiene instruction.Key words: Epulis, Pregnancy, Prevalence