Oral Health Care During Pregnancy: A National Consensus Statement
Summary of an Expert Workgroup Meeting
Talking Points
Introduction
Pregnancy is a unique period during a woman’s life and is characterized by complex physiological changes, which may adversely affect oral health. At the same time, oral health is key to overall health and well-being. Preventive, diagnostic, and restorative dental treatment is safe throughout pregnancy and is effective in improving and maintaining oral health.
Health professionals often do not provide oral health care to pregnant women, and pregnant women, some with obvious signs of oral disease, often don’t seek or receive oral health care. In many cases, neither pregnant women nor health professionals understand that oral health care is an important component of a healthy pregnancy.
Educating pregnant women about preventing and treating dental caries is critical. Evidence suggests that most infants and young children acquire caries-causing bacteria from their mothers. Providing pregnant women with counseling to promote healthy oral health behaviors may reduce transmission of such bacteria from mothers to infants and young children, thereby delaying or preventing the onset of caries.
Many national organizations have issued statements and recommendations for improving oral health care during pregnancy, including the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Periodontology, the American Academy of Physician Assistants, the American College of Nurse-Midwives, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the American Dental Association. Several states, including New York, California, South Carolina, and Washington, have all developed guidelines for perinatal oral health care.
These activities provided a strong foundation for the Health Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau, to convene an expert workgroup meeting in collaboration with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Dental Association. The meeting was coordinated by the National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center and was held on October 18, 2011, in Washington, DC. During the meeting, participants reviewed policies from federal agencies and national organizations, recent literature, and existing guidelines on oral health care during pregnancy. The outcome of the meeting resulted in the national consensus statement.
National Consensus Statement
The purpose of the consensus statement is to help health professionals, program administrators and staff, policymakers, advocates, and other stakeholders respond to the need for improvements in the provision of oral health services to women during pregnancy, bring about changes in the health-care-delivery system, and improve the overall standard of care.
The consensus statement includes guidance for prenatal care health professionals and for oral health professionals. Health professionals can help ensure that pregnant women receive high-quality oral health care by assessing pregnant women’s oral health status and advising the women about oral health care, working in collaboration with health professionals, providing support services (case management) to pregnant women, and improving health services in the community. For oral health professionals, the consensus statement also includes information about oral disease management and treatment.
The consensus statement also offers an overview of pharmacological agents, such as analgesics, antibiotics, anesthetics, and over-the-counter antimicrobials, that may be used during pregnancy.
The consensus statement concludes with tips for good oral health care for pregnant women, which include getting oral health care, practicing good oral hygiene, eating healthy foods, practicing other healthy behaviors, and taking care of the mouth and the baby’s mouth after the baby is born.
The consensus statement is a critical resource that will increase health professionals’ awareness of the importance and safety of women’s oral health care during pregnancy through the promotion of evidence-based science. It is available online, along with outreach tools, at http://www.mchoralhealth.org/materials/consensus_statement.html.