{ "abstract": "Background: Oral symptoms and preventive dental-care practices during pregnancy remain insufficiently characterized in Romania. This study described self-reported oral manifestations, oral-hygiene practices, and dental attendance and explored their cross-sectional associations with gingival bleeding, dental pain, and perceived oral-health impact. Methods: This single-center cross-sectional study included 101 pregnant women recruited at the Ginecho Clinic, Craiova, Romania, between October 2025 and July 2026. Participants completed a 21-item electronic questionnaire in the clinic with clarification available from the medical team. Oral conditions were self-reported/perceived rather than clinically diagnosed. Prevalence ratios (PRs) were estimated using Poisson regression with robust variance; multivariable models simultaneously included preventive behaviors, maternal age, parity, and trimester. Results: Gingival bleeding (68.3%), gingival swelling (66.3%), and salivary-flow alterations (57.4%) were frequently reported. Most participants brushed once daily (66.3%), never used interdental cleaning (68.3%), and had not attended a dental visit during pregnancy (81.2%). In adjusted models, brushing at least twice daily was associated with lower prevalence of gingival bleeding (aPR = 0.56; 95% CI: 0.32–0.97) and higher perceived oral-health impact (aPR = 0.47; 95% CI: 0.23–0.99). No preventive behavior was significantly associated with dental pain after simultaneous adjustment. Conclusions: Self-reported oral manifestations were common and preventive practices were limited in this convenience sample. These exploratory associations do not establish temporality or causality and require confirmation in prospective studies using validated instruments and clinical oral examinations.", "abstract_shown": true, "affiliations": [ "Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 200349 Craiova, Romania", "Department of Histology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 200349 Craiova, Romania", "Research Centre for Microscopic Morphology and Immunology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 200349 Craiova, Romania", "Department of Histology, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 200349 Craiova, Romania", "Doctoral School, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 200349 Craiova, Romania", "Department 9, Faculty of Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 200349 Craiova, Romania", "Department of Conservative and Restorative Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 200349 Craiova, Romania", "Faculty of Dentistry, Titu Maiorescu University, 67A Gheorghe Petrașcu Street, 031593 Bucharest, Romania", "Department of Medical Informatics and Biostatistics, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 200349 Craiova, Romania", "Department of Human Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 200349 Craiova, Romania", "Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 200349 Craiova, Romania", "Dental Medicine Research Center, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 200349 Craiova, Romania" ], "article_type": "research article", "arxiv": null, "author_total": 14, "authors": [ { "affs": [ 0 ], "name": "Ciprian Laurențiu Pătru" }, { "affs": [ 1, 2 ], "name": "Ilona Mihaela Liliac", "orcid": "0000-0002-4403-7361" }, { "affs": [ 0 ], "name": "Dominic Gabriel Iliescu", "orcid": "0000-0002-7823-3387" }, { "affs": [ 2, 3 ], "name": "Anca Mihaela Predescu" }, { "affs": [ 4 ], "name": "Gabriela Boldeanu", "orcid": "0009-0005-4733-4395" }, { "affs": [ 5 ], "name": "Larisa Pătru", "orcid": "0000-0002-6897-3381" }, { "affs": [ 6 ], "name": "Mihaela Jana Țuculină", "orcid": "0000-0002-6535-3152" }, { "affs": [ 4 ], "name": "Alexandra Cătălina Iacov" }, { "affs": [ 7 ], "name": "Cristian Niky Cumpătă", "orcid": "0000-0001-5414-0031" }, { "affs": [ 7 ], "name": "Smaranda Cumpătă", "orcid": "0009-0000-7360-8461" }, { "affs": [ 8 ], "name": "Mihaela Ionescu" }, { "affs": [ 9 ], "name": "Marinas Marius Cristian", "orcid": "0009-0007-9672-1281" }, { "affs": [ 2, 10 ], "name": "Carmen Aurelia Mogoantă", "orcid": "0000-0002-3426-6478" }, { "affs": [ 1, 2, 11 ], "name": "Elena Cristina Andrei", "orcid": "0009-0008-1581-8928" } ], "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/b1gqsafrpd8gw.bib", "cited_by": 0, "doi": "10.3390/jcm15197615", "fulltext_url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13665922/?tool=EBI", "id": "b1gqsafrpd8gw", "issns": [ "2077-0383" ], "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13665922", "language": "eng", "licence": "CC-BY", "licence_label": "CC BY", "licence_source": "article", "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "metadata_licence": null, "native_subjects": [ [ "openalex", "3506|Dental Health and Care Utilization" ] ], "openalex": "W7215096421", "pdf_url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13665922/pdf/?tool=EBI", "pmcid": "PMC13665922", "pmid": null, "published": "2026-10-01", "publisher": "MDPI AG", "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/b1gqsafrpd8gw.ris", "sources": [ { "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:31Z", "native_id": "PMC:PMC13665922", "source": "europepmc", "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13665922" }, { "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:20:00Z", "native_id": "10.3390/jcm15197615", "source": "crossref", "url": "https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/15/19/7615" } ], "subjects": [ { "field": "medicine", "origin": "journal-openalex:F27", "subfield": "general" } ], "title": "Self-Reported Oral Manifestations and Preventive Dental-Care Practices Among Pregnant Women in Romania: A Cross-Sectional Study", "title_text": "Self-Reported Oral Manifestations and Preventive Dental-Care Practices Among Pregnant Women in Romania: A Cross-Sectional Study", "type": "peer-reviewed", "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:20:00Z", "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/b1gqsafrpd8gw", "venue": "Journal of clinical medicine", "versions": [] }