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Improving the Oral Health of Pregnant People: The Need for a Health CarePublic Health Partnership Jayanth V. Kumar, DDS, MPH, and Renee Samelson, MD, MPH
GUEST EDITORS Jayanth V. Kumar, DDS, MPH, is the state dental director at the California Department of Public Health. Conflict of Interest Disclosure: None reported. Renee Samelson, MD, MPH, is a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Albany Medical College in Albany, New York. Conflict of Interest Disclosure: None reported.
Publication Policy Disclaimer The findings and conclusions in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of the California Department of Public Health or the California Health and Human Services Agency.
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ood oral health habits and timely dental care protect a person’s health before and during pregnancy and can reduce the transmission of caries causing bacteria from mothers to their children.1 The recently published report, “Oral Health in America: Advances and Challenges” further emphasizes the importance of early prevention and regular health care, including activities that promote oral health during preconception, pregnancy and the first three years of life because lifelong health determinants are established from the moment of conception.2 The mother’s oral health status profoundly influences oral health outcomes in children.3 In addition, providing timely educational information and dental care to pregnant people has been shown to reduce the risk for dental caries in their children.4 To promote oral health during pregnancy, the California Dental Association Foundation and the American College of Obstetricians and
Gynecologists, District IX, developed the Perinatal Oral Health Practice Guidelines in 2010.5 Since creating these guidelines, several initiatives have been undertaken at the national and state levels to ensure that health professionals and pregnant people know the importance and safety of receiving oral health care during pregnancy.6,7 These initiatives include programs, policies, resources and training. For example, the federal Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Services Block Grant (Title V of the Social Security Act), a foundation for ensuring the health of our nation’s mothers, children and adolescents, including those with special health care needs, has established performance measures regarding preventive dental visits.8 Also, the American Dental Association’s (ADA) Council on Advocacy for Access and Prevention has fostered efforts to make the profession aware of the importance and safety of providing oral health care throughout pregnancy. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) has also recommended oral APRIL 2 0 2 2
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