Table 1

Dental health of women completing the postnatal survey

Perceived dental problems in previous 12 months
n (%)

Broken or chipped natural tooth
73 (18.8)
Gums that hurt or bleed
231 (59.5)
Sores on tongue or inside mouth
58 (14.9)
Bad taste in mouth
103 (26.5)
Persistent bad breath
50 (12.9)

Current dental health problems caused
often n (%)
occasionally n (%)
rarely n (%)
never n (%)
don't know n (%)

Pain/discomfort
47 (12.1)
98 (25.3)
107 (27.6)
120 (30.9)
7 (1.8)
Limitation
15 (3.9)
34 (8.8)
40 (10.3)
292 (75.2)
0
Uncomfortable to eat
39 (10.1)
66 (17.0)
67 (17.3)
210 (54.1)
5 (1.3)
Unsatisfactory diet
11 (2.8)
19 (4.9)
31 (8.0)
314 (80.9)
10 (2.6)
Embarrassment
30 (7.7)
38 (9.8)
31 (8.0)
282 (72.7)
6 (1.6)
Less satisfying life
20 (5.2)
23 (5.9)
27 (7.0)
312 (80.4)
4 (1.0)

Thomas et al. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2008 8:13   doi:10.1186/1471-2393-8-13