Effects of Education on Oral and Dental Care of Pregnant Women, Based on the Health Belief Model

ntroduction: Oral/dental care  is  necessary  for  the  health  of mother  and  her  fetus  during  pregnancy.  Recent  research  has  indicated  a  relationship  between periodontal  diseases  and  adverse  pregnancy outcomes  such  as  premature  delivery,  low birth weight, and  neonatal  admission in  intensive care  units.  The present study aimed to examine the effects of education on oral/dental care of pregnant women, based on the health belief model.
Methods: This interventional study was performed in 2012 on case (n=72) and control (n=72) groups, selected by multi-step random sampling, at Mashhad healthcare centers. The case group participated in 4 training session, based on the health belief model components. Data collection tools consisted of examination and a researcher-made  questionnaire including 50 items regarding the components of health belief model (perceived susceptibility, severity, benefits, barriers, and  action) and  oral/dental  care performance; the questionnaire was completed before and 45 days after the intervention.
Results:Before the intervention, no significant relationship was observed between the average scores of different components in the two groups. However, after the intervention, the average scores of knowledge and different components of the model (including susceptibility, severity, benefits, barriers, and performance) significantly increased (P<0.001).
Conclusion:The findings supported the impact and efficiency of health belief model in oral and/dental care training. Therefore, it is suggested that model-based training be performed to educate oral and dental care in healthcare centers; this type of training will ultimately decrease the symptoms of mother and child.