Page 37 - FINAL COMPENDIUM 2020-2021 27.2.2022

KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDE OF MEDICAL NURSES TOWARDS ORAL HEALTH AND ORAL
HEALTHCARE OF PREGNANT WOMEN IN KUALA NERUS, TERENGGANU

Nurul Adila MD, Nur Syuhada Z, Siti Khadijah MY, Nor Afina MZ, Haryati M, Nabilah MZ
Background: Pregnancy is a subtle period for mothers, often encountering health issues
such as multiple oral diseases. Providing comprehensive care to pregnant women during
pregnancy demands interprofessional collaboration to improve their oral health status.
Knowledge and attitude of medical nurses on oral health are of concern due to the various
strategies formulated for better oral health among pregnant women. Objective: To assess
the knowledge and attitude of medical nurses toward oral health and oral healthcare of
pregnant women in Kuala Nerus, Terengganu. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional
study was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire involving 96 medical nurses
serving in public health facilities in the district of Kuala Nerus, Terengganu (Malaysia).
Results: Most nurses knew that dental plaque (94.8%) and smoking (92.7%) are associated
with periodontal disease. Most of the nurses correctly identified the symptoms of
periodontal disease; bleeding gums (96.9%), swollen gums (99.0%), gingival pain (95.8%),
changes in gum colour (87.5%), loose teeth (90.65%), bad breath (93.8%), and gum
abscess (90.6%). In addition, two-thirds of the nurses (82.3%) knew that hormonal
imbalances during pregnancy increase the risk of periodontal diseases, and 62.5% agree
that dental treatment is safe during pregnancy. However, about half of the nurses
believed that periodontal disease in pregnant women has no adverse effects on low birth
weight (52%) and premature birth (54%). Meanwhile, more than half of the nurses
(68.8%) believed that calcium was drawn from the mothers’ teeth by the foetus during
pregnancy. Most nurses had good attitude as they believed oral healthcare should be an
important component of antenatal healthcare (97.9%) and agreed that they should help
deliver oral health education to pregnant women (93.8%). There was no statistically
significant association between the knowledge and attitude of the nurses in this study
(P = 0.17). Conclusion: Despite good attitude, medical nurses have average knowledge on
oral health of pregnant women with some misconceptions. Age, length of service as a
nurse, and the length of service in antenatal care did not affect the knowledge and
attitude scores of the nurses.

Keywords: Oral health, Pregnancy, Nurses, Knowledge, Attitude

Dr Nurul Adila Mat Dait Dr Nur Afina Zulkifly
Dr Nabilah Mohd Zamil Batu Rakit Dental Clinic
Seberang Takir Dental Clinic Terengganu
Terengganu
Dr Haryati Mohamed
Dr Nur Syuhada Zulkipli Kuala Nerus District Dental Office
Dr Sti Khadijah Moh Yatim Terengganu
Bukit Tunggal Dental Clinic
Terengganu

13