Knowledge of Periodontal Diseases, Oral Hygiene Practices, and Self-Reported Periodontal Problems among Pregnant Women and Postnatal Mothers Attending Reproductive and Child Health Clinics in Rural Zambia
Table 2
Oral hygiene practices and self-reported periodontal problems among pregnant women and postnatal mothers in rural Zambia.
Oral hygiene practices
Distribution in percentages (%)
χ2 value
value
All ()
Pregnant women ()
Postnatal mothers ()
Cleaning of teeth and gums
98.3
98.9
97.1
1.675
0.196
Brushing once a day
24.9
23.0
28.6
3.798
0.284
Brushing twice a day
38.5
37.4
40.7
3.798
0.284
Brushing three times a day
36.3
39.3
30.7
3.798
0.284
Brushing once a week
0.2
0.4
0.0
3.798
0.284
Brush less than 1 minute
25.9
26.3
25.0
3.231
0.199
Brush 1–3 minutes
57.1
54.4
62.1
3.231
0.199
Brush more than 3 minutes
17.1
19.3
12.9
3.231
0.199
Use of toothbrush to clean teeth
95.6
93.3
100
9.762
0.001
Use of chewing stick to clean teeth
12.2
11.1
10.0
0.119
0.865
Use of toothpick to clean teeth
10.7
13.0
10.7
0.435
0.509
Use of finger to clean teeth
0.7
1.1
0.0
1.567
0.554
Regular use of toothpaste
91.7
92.2
90.7
0.276
0.600
Tongue brushing
55.4
53.3
59.3
1.322
0.250
Flossing
2.0
2.2
1.4
#
0.721
Use of mouth wash
13.9
16.3
9.3
3.786
0.070
Changes toothbrush (TBR) once/month
25.4
27.4
21.4
6.002
0.199
Changes TBR after 3 months
39.3
37.4
42.9
6.002
0.199
Changes TBR after 1 year
6.8
6.7
7.1
6.002
0.199
Changes TBR when bristles bend
25.6
24.4
27.9
6.002
0.199
Changes not the TBR
2.9
4.1
0.7
6.002
0.199
Bleeding gums
23.2
23.3
22.9
0.012
0.914
Painful gums
15.9
14.8
17.9
0.640
0.424
Swollen gums
11.0
10.7
11.4
0.45
0.833
Reddish gums
10.5
10.4
10.7
0.012
0.914
Tooth mobility
3.4
3.7
2.9
0.212
0.645
#Fisher’s exact test (no chi-square value as the chi-square test was not used for this item) as one cell had 2 study participants only that is less than the minimum of 5 subjects.
