Oral health during pregnancy - An analysis of information collected by thepregnancy risk assessment monitoring system

Background. Little is known about the use of dental services during pregnan cy. Yet research suggests that a pregnant woman's oral health and her pregn ancy outcome may be associated. Methods. Four states it collected oral health data as part of the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System, or PRAMS, in 1998. PRAMS is an ongoing, population-based survey designed to obtain information from mothers who re cently delivered live-born infants about their experiences and behaviors be t re, during and immediately after pregnancy. Results. Reports of dental care use during pregnancy ranged from 22.7 to 34 .7 percent. In three states, 12.2 percent to 25.4 percent of respondents re ported having a dental problem and of these, 44.7 percent to 54.9 percent w ent for care. Among mothers reporting a dental problem, prenatal care, or P NC, insurance through public funding and late PNC entry were significantly associated with their not getting dental care. Conclusions. Most mothers did not go for dental care during their pregnancy ; among those who reported having problems, one-half did not get dental car e. Practice Implications. Attention toward the oral health needs of pregnant w omen is warranted. A coordinated effort from the dental and obstetric commu nities to establish guidelines could benefit maternal oral health and perin atal outcomes.