Newborn weight and oral health status of mothers in Santiago Nonualco

Abstract

Introduction. Oral diseases can be considered risk factors for chronic systemic diseases, and according to international studies, they are currently associated with premature births and low birth weight newborns. Objective. Describe the weight of newborns and the oral health status of mothers in Santiago Nonualco. Methodology. Descriptive cross-sectional study. The study included records of mothers who attended prenatal checkups and whose newborns were enrolled in the child dental checkup program during 2023. Results. The study included 189 mothers and 189 newborns. All mothers had foci of infection in their oral cavity, and 73.5 % had chronic gingivitis. Eleven-point six percent of newborns had low birth weight, of which 81.82 % came from rural areas, and 50.0 % were children of mothers between 21 and 25 years of age. Conclusion. The most frequently found infectious focus was chronic gingivitis, and newborns had a higher proportion of low birth weight than the percentage reported for the country.