Postpartum U.S. Women's Oral Health Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices During Pregnancy

Objective The purpose of this study was to assess oral health knowledge, attitudes, and practices of women who had given birth in the United States within the past 2 years, and to evaluate factors affecting women's dental service utilization during pregnancy. Methods This study used a descriptive, cross-sectional design and employed non-probability sampling methods. The 47-item questionnaire included: oral health behaviors (8), knowledge (5), attitudes (12), and practices during pregnancy (10), and demographic (12) questions. Participants were recruited through multiple postpartum support group forums on Facebook. Logistic regression was used to identify potential predictors of dental utilization during pregnancy. Results Ninety-one percent of the participants had at least an associate's degree, and 85.6% had dental insurance coverage during pregnancy. Approximately 56% knew the connection between poor oral health and pregnancy complications; however, only 11% obtained this information from their OBGYNs and 10% from their dental offices. Although women aware of the association were more likely to visit the dental office during pregnancy (64%, p