Nutrient intake, oral symptoms, and oral health-related quality of life among antenatal mothers in Sarawak

Abstract

Introduction: This study aimed to determine the association between nutrient intake, oral symptoms, and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) among antenatal mothers in the Sri Aman district, Sarawak. Methods: A total of 124 antenatal mothers in the second and third trimesters, through systematic random sampling, participated in this cross-sectional study. A validated selfadministered questionnaire was used to collect their socioeconomic and obstetric profiles, perceived oral health status, and OHRQoL. Three days 24-hour diet recall assessment involving two weekdays and one weekend day was used for nutrient intake assessment. Results: Most mothers (75.0%) had at least one oral symptom: cavitated tooth (51.6%), bleeding gum (32.3%), halitosis (27.4%), gum pain (13.7%), toothache (12.1%), and swollen gum (6.5%). Most mothers also had inadequate intakes of energy, vitamin D, iodine, calcium, zinc, fluoride, and iron. The most affected OHRQoL domain was psychological discomfort, followed by functional limitation and physical pain. Nutrient intake was not significantly different between antenatal mothers with and without oral symptoms. Antenatal mothers with at least one oral symptom, presence of toothache, cavitated tooth, bleeding gum, and halitosis had significantly lower OHRQoL. Conclusion: Most antenatal mothers had inadequate nutrient intake, particularly vitamin D and calcium. Nutrient intake was not significantly associated with oral symptoms. The oral symptoms of dental caries and periodontal disease were prevalent; and the presence of toothache, cavitated tooth, bleeding gum, and halitosis were associated with poor OHRQoL.