![Oral Health Care During Pregnancy [cover]](../images/PregConsensusMeetingCover.jpg)
2012
- Oral Health Care During Pregnancy: A National Consensus Statement—
Summary of an Expert Workgroup Meeting released
Background
This national consensus statement presents a summary of an expert workgroup meeting held on October 18, 2011, in Washington, DC. The meeting was convened by the Health Resources and Services Administration in collaboration with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), the American Dental Association (ADA), and the National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center. The document provides guidance on oral health care for pregnant women for both prenatal care health professionals and oral health professionals, pharmacological considerations for pregnant women, and guidance for health professionals to share with pregnant women. The consensus statement was funded under a grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration's Maternal and Child Health Bureau to the National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center at Georgetown University.
Impact
Since the release of Oral Health Care During Pregnancy: A National Consensus Statement, federal agencies and national, state, and local organizations have continued to produce publications, advance policy, launch programs, and provide training to ensure that health professionals as well as pregnant women are aware of the importance and safety of receiving oral health care during pregnancy. Selected activities include the following:
Since 2012, the National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center has been producing Tips for Good Oral Health During Pregnancy. This tip sheet provides information and resources to help women take care of their oral health during pregnancy. Topics include getting oral health care, practicing good oral hygiene, eating healthy foods, and practicing other healthy behaviors. The tip sheet is available in 10 languages.
In 2013, the ACOG Committee on Health Care for Underserved Women released Oral Health During Pregnancy and Through the Lifespan. This paper presents information and recommendations for obstetrician/gynecologists. Topics include general health, common oral health conditions during pregnancy, periodontal disease and pregnancy outcomes, oral health assessment and counseling during pregnancy, and access to oral health care.
At the ADA meeting in New Orleans, LA, in October 2013, volunteers from ADA, the Alliance of the ADA, and Henry Schein Cares launched Healthy Smiles from the Start, an education program for mothers and other caregivers of newborns. The program, which is available in English and Spanish, focuses on how and to make good oral health habits a priority for everyone in the family, and why doing so is important.
In light of objective 1 of Members First 2020, ADA's 2015–2019 strategic plan, which states that "the public will recognize the ADA and its members as leaders and advocates in oral health," ADA's Council on Access, Prevention and Interprofessional Relations put forward the following two resolutions, which were approved in October 2014:
Resolved, that the ADA urges all pregnant women and women of child-bearing age to have a regular dental examination, and it further
Resolved, that the ADA acknowledges that preventive, diagnostic, and restorative dental treatment is safe throughout pregnancy and is effective in improving and maintaining the oral health of the mother and her child.
Since the release of the consensus statement, government entities and organizations in the following countries or states have reproduced or adapted portions of it: Colorado, the European Union, Jamaica, Maryland, North Carolina, and South Carolina.
Sources
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Committee on Health Care for Underserved Women. 2022. Oral Health Care During Pregnancy and Through the Lifespan. Washington, DC: American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center. 2015. Promoting Oral Health During Pregnancy: Update on Activities—February 2015. Washington, DC: National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center.
National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center. 2015. Promoting Oral Health During Pregnancy: Update on Activities—June 2015. Washington, DC: National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center.
Oral Health During Pregnancy Expert Workgroup. 2012. Tips for Good Oral Health During Pregnancy. Washington, DC: National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center.
Oral Health Care During Pregnancy Expert Workgroup. 2012. Oral Health Care During Pregnancy: A National Consensus Statement—Summary of an Expert Workgroup Meeting. Washington, DC: National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center.
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