Dental prophylaxis and treatment in pregnant women. Opinion of the working group of the Polish Alliance for a Cavity-Free Future on dental prophylaxis in pregnant women

Abstract

Introduction. Pregnancy is a special period in the life of a woman, when she cares not only for her own health, but also for that of her unborn child. Prenatal care is defined as comprehensive and multidisciplinary care provided to a pregnant woman, developing foetus, and then a newborn. The aim of caries prevention in pregnancy is not only to protect the future mother from caries, but also to prevent the disease in the child. Aim. The aim of the paper was to present the recommendations on preventive and therapeutic dental management in pregnant women with regard to oral diseases in the mother and her child. Material and methods. Electronic search for literature in medical databases (Pubmed, EMBASE, MEDLINE) and manual search for literature on primary-primary prevention of dental caries and dental care in pregnancy. Results. The available literature indicates the safety of preventive and therapeutic activities during pregnancy, including the use of local anaesthesia and dental diagnostic radiology. Although dental treatment requires some modifications due to pregnancy-related changes, it may be safely used for the benefit of the mother’s and the child’s health. Conclusions. Dental care in pregnancy should be primarily dedicated to education, prevention and treatment, if needed. Future mothers should be made aware that the child’s oral health can and should be taken care of already in the prenatal period.

A Comprehensive Questionnaire-Based Study on “Oral Health Awareness Among Pregnant Women in Lucknow City”

“…This topic seems to be very interesting and essential because the data showed an association between oral care and oral health, general health, health of an unborn child, and pregnancy outcomes [3][4][5][6]. General health, dental, gynecological, and obstetrician organizations or workgroups worldwide are involved in highlighting and discussing the importance of making pregnant women aware of the significance of their oral health [3,24]. However, this knowledge and awareness of both women and knowledge providers are not sufficient, which has been presented in published findings [22,24,26,27].…”

“…General health, dental, gynecological, and obstetrician organizations or workgroups worldwide are involved in highlighting and discussing the importance of making pregnant women aware of the significance of their oral health [3,24]. However, this knowledge and awareness of both women and knowledge providers are not sufficient, which has been presented in published findings [22,24,26,27].…”

“…Various factors affect oral health during pregnancy, including the level of vitamin D in a patient's serum. Treatment with vitamin D can improve outcomes in infertile women, while deficiency can cause complications [20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28]. Granuloma gravidarum is a condition that commonly appears during pregnancy due to an increase in progesterone levels.…”

“…5 Dental Treatment During The Pregnancy In Relation To The Women's Age DISCUSSION Studies across the world have shown that oral health during pregnancy is essential for both the mother and the unborn child's well-being. (3) Despite efforts made by various global organizations, research indicates that both women and healthcare providers lack sufficient knowledge and awareness regarding this matter (24,26,27).…”

How much do pregnant women know about the importance of oral health in pregnancy? Questionnaire-based survey

“…It could cause local bleeding while eating and toothbrushing [ 22 ]. It was also demonstrated, that pregnant women are at higher risk of erosions of enamel leading to hypersensitivity because of dissolving properties of gastric acid affecting the teeth during vomiting in the first trimester and acid reflux at the later stages [ 23 ]. Therefore, the maintenance of good oral health during the entire period of pregnancy is absolutely essential for general health of both mothers and their babies [ 5 , 24 , 25 ].…”