Oral Health Care for Children and Pregnant Women

Dental health often is overlooked among the numerous health needs in pregnancy and early childhood. Dental disease in pregnant women is associated with pre-term birth, low birthweight and gestational diabetes, all of which can harm the baby and may result in a more costly pregnancy. Dental care is safe throughout pregnancy, although misapprehension about treatment safety and concerns about liability may cause dental professionals to delay treatment for pregnant women. A February 2010 study in Obstetrics and Gynecology found that the stillbirth of a California woman’s child at 39 weeks resulted from the mother’s oral bacterial infection.

In addition to the consequences of dental health problems during pregnancy, a woman’s oral health also can affect her children.