Oral health awareness and dental care practices among pregnant women: A cross-sectional study in a tertiary care center in Germany
Lisa Jung, Louisa Lappel, Anne B. Kruse, Petra Ratka-Krüger, Fabian Cieplik, Ingolf Juhasz-Böss, Claire Decrinis
A
BSTRACT
Introduction:
Oral health is an important yet frequently overlooked aspect of antenatal care, with conditions such as gingivitis and periodontitis posing a risk to pregnancy outcomes. This study aimed to assess women’s awareness of oral health during pregnancy and their satisfaction with the information received at a tertiary care center in Germany.
Methods:
A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted among 100 pregnant women in their third trimester at a university hospital. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Ethical approval was obtained from the Ethics Committee of the University Medical Centre where the study was performed.
Results:
Only 54% of participants reported having received information on oral health during pregnancy. Of these, 32% were satisfied, and 5% were very satisfied with the information provided; however, only 13% could recall specific content. A significant association (ϕ =0.257) was observed between receiving information and the ability to recall preventive measures, representing a small-to-moderate effect size. Women who had received information were significantly more likely to report satisfaction (
Conclusions:
Awareness of oral health during pregnancy remains limited, and there are gaps in patient education, even in settings with good access to healthcare. These results highlight the need to strengthen the integration of oral health education into routine antenatal and primary care in order to improve maternal health literacy and utilization of care.