Prenatal nutrition intervention to reduce mutans streptococci among low-income women.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this study is to assess the effectiveness of a prenatal nutrition intervention to reduce sugar intake and mutans streptococci (mutans) among low-income women.


METHODS
Pregnant women were recruited from the obstetrics service at a community health center in Connecticut. Inclusion criteria were ≥18 years of age; mutans levels >10, 000 colony forming units/ml as determined by Dentocult SM® kits (Orion Diagnostica Oy, Espoo, Finland); and >3 months pregnant. Women were randomized to receive education alone [education intervention (EI)] or education and a 1-hour nutrition group session at 9 months and 6 weeks postpartum [education and nutrition intervention (EIN)]. Mutans and questionnaire data were collected at baseline, 9 months, 6 weeks, and 3 months postpartum. One hundred twenty completed the baseline visit and 93 (77%) completed all four visits. Sugar intake was assessed by the Food Frequency Questionnaire and clinical information was abstracted from medical charts.


RESULTS
Mean age was 26.3 years [standard deviation (SD)= 6], 73% were Hispanic, 29% had lived in the United States < 6 years; 48% completed high school; 27% were married; mean total sugar intake at baseline was 149g (SD = 85). Repeated measures analysis of variance showed that mutans levels declined significantly in both groups, but that the EI group had significantly lower mutans levels at the final assessment compared with EIN. Sugar intake also declined significantly, but there were no significant differences between groups.


CONCLUSIONS
The study demonstrated the following: a) the feasibility of conducting the intervention at community health center sites among low-income pregnant women; b) the effectiveness of education to reduce mutans/sugar intake; and c) the need to improve the nutrition intervention to obtain additional gains in mutans reduction.
University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine, CT, USA. reisine@nso1.uchc.edu
Susan
S
Reisine
Joanna
J
Douglass
Robert
R
Aseltine
Ellen
E
Shanley
Colleen
C
Thompson
Edward
E
Thibodeau
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D019422:Dietary Sucrose; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006267:Health Education, Dental; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D017533:Marital Status; D044623:Nutrition Therapy; D011203:Poverty; D011247:Pregnancy; D011295:Prenatal Care; D012463:Saliva / Q000382:microbiology*; D013295:Streptococcus mutans / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult
D019422:Dietary Sucrose