Oral Health During Pregnancy

This consensus statement presents information resulting from an expert workgroup meeting held in 2011 convened by the Health Resources and Services Administration in collaboration with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Dental Association. It contains guidance for prenatal care health professionals and oral health professionals, pharmacological considerations for pregnant women, and guidance for health professionals to share with pregnant women. The 2026 revised edition includes updates on dental amalgams, aspirin to prevent preeclampsia, and nitrous oxide.

• 2026 Edition
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This curriculum for health professionals and educators comprises nine courses addressing oral health. Courses focus on the relationship between oral health and systemic health; child oral health; adult oral health; acute oral health problems; pregnancy and women’s oral health; caries risk assessment, fluoride varnish, and counseling; the oral exam; oral health for older adults; and silver diamine fluoride. The courses can be taken for continuing education credit or simply to gain knowledge on the topics.

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This updated report offers information about oral health for women during the perinatal period and discusses problems related to women's oral health and their ability to access oral health care during this period. A strategic framework for improving perinatal oral health, based on core public health activities, is presented, and a policy statement is included.

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This practice guide provides information to help state Title V maternal and child health programs in their implementation of the national performance measure on preventive dental visit. It also provides sample evidence-based or evidence-informed strategy measures (ESMs), possible data sources for ESMs, and a list of resources. Programs can also use this information to assist in the implementation of oral-health-related state performance measures. [Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]

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These forms are designed for oral health professionals to record key information from dental visits with children and pregnant women enrolled in Head Start. The forms include space to record dental home status, oral health status, and what oral health care services were delivered during the dental visit (e.g., diagnostic and preventive, counseling, restorative and emergency, referral to a specialist for care). The forms also serve as records of what oral health care services are needed and of information to share with others. They re available in English and Spanish.

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This form is designed as a tool for pregnant women to provide information to help dental office staff understand and meet their needs. The form includes information about prenatal care received, what the woman does to take care of her mouth and teeth, and what questions she has about taking care of her mouth and teeth. It also includes information about problems experienced during pregnancy and whether the woman smokes, vapes, or drinks alcohol. It is available in English and Spanish. [Funded in part by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]

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This report provides an overview of the Protect Tiny Teeth Implementation Project, which was designed to improve the oral health of the maternal and child population, and project results. Topics included background, focus group testing and communications messaging, environmental scan, project description, project aim, results, and Protect Tiny Teeth Toolkit overview and testing.

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This report provides information on the role of Medicaid adult dental benefits during pregnancy and postpartum. It discusses the importance of oral health during these periods, the safety and use of oral health care during pregnancy, and dental coverage for pregnant and postpartum women. A snapshot of dental benefits during pregnancy and postpartum in Virginia, which added an extensive benefit for adults enrolled in Medicaid during pregnancy and 60 days postpartum, is discussed. Information on Maryland and Tennessee, which have extended the Medicaid coverage period to 12 months postpartum, is also included.

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This snapshot highlights activities conducted by American Samoa, Guam, the Marshall Islands, Palau, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The report presents a snapshot of jurisdictions’ experiences with implementing strategies to promote preventive dental visits for pregnant women, children, and adolescents. Challenges, accomplishments, and technical assistance needs related to each jurisdiction are discussed. [Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]

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This curriculum is designed to help health and early childhood professionals working in community settings (e.g., Head Start, home visiting, WIC staff) promote oral health in the course of promoting general health for infants, children, and their families. Topics include tooth decay, risk factors, and prevention; oral health risk assessment and oral health screening; and anticipatory guidance for parents. Each of the four modules includes an overview, learning objectives, key points, a post-test, and resources. [Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]

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This guide is a model used by New York University (NYU) College of Dentistry and NYU College of Nursing for the NYU Prenatal Oral Health Interprofessional Experience. For this program, NYU dental students and nurse midwifery or family nurse practitioner students collaborate to develop a management plan to meet the oral health needs of pregnant women in the Bellevue Pediatric Dental Clinic through oral health screening, education, and referral. The guide includes information about interprofessional collaborative practice competencies, a student assignment example, education resources, and suggestions to facilitate student discussion.

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This guide provides an overview of the topic and features descriptions of and links to materials on data and surveillance, policy, professional education and training, public education, and state and local programs. The resource guide also includes descriptions of organizations that can provide additional support for activities that promote the availability of high-quality oral health care for young children. [Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]

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This brief presents findings from a review of 15 sources that include oral health risk assessment questions to ask pregnant women. The questions are organized according to the following seven themes: dental concerns/pain, diet/nutrition, pregnancy symptoms, health behaviors, fluoride, last dental visit/dental home, and concerns about getting oral health care. [Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]

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This report offers a snapshot of states’ experiences with implementing strategies to address NPM 13. It presents challenges, lessons learned, and accomplishments in promoting preventive dental visits for pregnant women and children and adolescents, ages 1 through 17. The report introduces the topic and provides background; presents information about the Title V Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant Program; and discusses methods, limitations, results, and next steps for states.

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This brief provides information about the quality measure “utilization of dental services during pregnancy” developed by the Dental Quality Alliance. It includes a rationale for the measure and a description of the numerator, the denominator, and rates. The brief also includes instructions for how to calculate the measure.

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This paper provides information about two oral health quality measures for pregnant women that the Dental Quality Alliance has developed. The paper explains why oral health care during pregnancy and the development of related oral-healthcare-quality measures are important, as well as how health-care-quality measures are reported. It also discusses identifying pregnant women in claims data for denominator inclusion, determining enrollment requirements for denominator inclusion, determining time frame for receipt of recommended services for numerator inclusion, and the impact of benefits coverage on identification services for numerator inclusion. [Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]

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This series of tip sheets is intended for Head Start staff to use to support the oral health of children and pregnant people enrolled in Head Start programs and their families. The tip sheets include up-to-date practices and practical tips to promote good oral health. Health and social service professionals interested in improving the oral health of children and pregnant people enrolled in Head Start and their families may also find Brush Up on Oral Health tip sheets helpful.

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This resource guide includes information for health professionals to help them provide pregnant women with appropriate and timely oral health care. The guide describes materials, such as brochures and handouts, curricula, guidelines, reports, and tools. It also lists federal agencies, national professional associations, and resource centers that may serve as resources. [Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]

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• First Edition

This infographic provides information for oral health professionals about benefits of and barriers to preventive dental visits for pregnant women. It discusses the safety of visiting the dentist during pregnancy, Medicaid dental coverage available during pregnancy, physiological changes that occur during pregnancy that may affect oral health, and how receiving oral health services can improve overall health and reduce the likelihood of transmission of cavity-causing bacteria from mothers to young children. [Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]

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This report describes the achievements of 16 projects funded though the PIOHQI initiative to improve oral health for pregnant women and infants, lessons the projects learned, and resources they produced. It provides examples of project achievements and successes in seven strategy areas: network development; workforce enhancement; community outreach; process and procedure development; program development; state practice guidance development; and data collection, evaluation, and reporting. [Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]

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This guide offers health professionals an overview of preventive oral health supervision during five developmental periods: prenatal, infancy, early childhood, middle childhood, and adolescence. It is designed to help health professionals implement specific oral health guidelines during these periods. For each period, information about family preparation, risk assessment, interview questions, screening, examination, preventive procedures, anticipatory guidance, measurable outcomes, and referrals is discussed. [Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]

• View Guide Online Or Download Complete Guide In .pdf

This booklet was developed to help Head Start and child care program staff become aware of problems young children with poor oral health may experience. Contents include ideas for promoting oral health and preventing oral disease. [Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]

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This series of handouts for pregnant women and parents of infants and young children provides simple tips on nutrition and oral health issues. Topics include brushing a young child’s teeth, choosing healthy drinks, encouraging children to drink water with fluoride, giving children healthy snacks, taking care of oral health for pregnant women, and taking care of an infant’s oral health. The series is written in simple language and is available in English and in Spanish. One handout, Using Silver Diamine Fluoride on Children's Teeth, is also available in Arabic, Chinese, Haitian Creole, Persian, and Somali.

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The series discusses efforts of federal agencies and national, state, and local organizations to launch programs, advance policy, and disseminate Oral Health During Pregnancy: A National Consensus Statement to ensure that both health professionals and pregnant women are aware of the importance and safety of receiving oral health care during pregnancy. A list of resources focused on promoting oral health during pregnancy and infancy is included. [Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]

• Consensus Statement And List Of Updates

This tip sheet provides information and resources to help women take care of their oral health during pregnancy. Topics include getting care, practicing good oral hygiene, eating healthy foods, and practicing other healthy behaviors. Additional topics include taking care of their infant’s gums and teeth and asking their pediatric health professional to check their infant’s mouth starting at age 6 months. The tip sheet is written in simple language and is available in Arabic, Chinese, Chuukese, English, German, Haitian Creole, Korean, Moldovan Romanian, Portuguese, Russian, Samoan, Spanish, and Vietnamese. [Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]

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This brochure is designed to educate women about the importance of oral hygiene and oral health care during pregnancy. Topics include brushing, flossing, eating healthy foods, and getting dental check-ups and treatment. Additional topics include the impact of hormonal changes during pregnancy on gum health, caring for an infant’s gums and teeth, and finding a dentist. The brochure is available in English and Spanish. [Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]

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