Oral Health Care During Pregnancy: A National Consensus Statement

Preventive, diagnostic, and restorative oral health care is safe throughout pregnancy and is effective in improving and maintaining oral health.

According to Oral Health Care During Pregnancy: A National Consensus Statement, “pregnancy is a unique period during a woman’s life and is characterized by complex physiological changes, which may adversely affect oral health. At the same time, oral health is key to overall health and well-being.” The consensus statement 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 resulted from an expert workgroup meeting convened by the Health Resources and Services Administration in collaboration with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Dental Association, and the National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center and held in 2011. The meeting summary includes the agenda and the list of participants.

These handouts are excerpted from the consensus statement as stand-alone PDF files for easy printing and sharing. Guidance for Oral Health Professionals Guidance for Prenatal Care Health Professionals Pharmacological Considerations for Pregnant Women
These periodic PDF updates provide an overview of selected national and state activities. Promoting Oral Health During Pregnancy—Update on Activities: May 2020 is a retrospective timeline. Promoting Oral Health During Pregnancy: Update on Activities—October 2024 Promoting Oral Health During Pregnancy: Update on Activities—February 2023 Promoting Oral Health During Pregnancy: Update on Activities—October 2021 Promoting Oral Health During Pregnancy: Update on Activities—May 2020 Promoting Oral Health During Pregnancy: Update on Activities—December 2019 Promoting Oral Health During Pregnancy: Update on Activities—May 2018 Promoting Oral Health During Pregnancy: Update on Activities—May 2017 Promoting Oral Health During Pregnancy: Update on Activities—September 2016 Promoting Oral Health During Pregnancy: Update on Activities—February 2016 Promoting Oral Health During Pregnancy: Update on Activities—October 2015 Promoting Oral Health During Pregnancy: Update on Activities—June 2015 Promoting Oral Health During Pregnancy: Update on Activities—February 2015
Oral Health During Pregnancy: Using PRAMS to Collect Population-Based Data is the latest issue in the Promoting Oral Health During Pregnancy series. This issue focuses on the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS), a surveillance project that collects population-based data on maternal and child health indicators. It describes the PRAMS questionnaire and PRAMS alternative questionnaires and features resources, including publications and data dashboards, that states have produced to share their PRAMS findings.
Tips for Good Oral Health During Pregnancy. Also available in Arabic Chinese Chuukese German Haitian Creole Korean Moldovan Romanian Portuguese Russian Samoan Spanish Vietnamese

Related Resources

• American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Committee on Health Care for Underserved Women. 2013. Committee Opinion: Oral Health Care During Pregnancy and Through the Lifespan. Obstetrics and Gynecology 122:417–422. Reaffirmed 2022.
• American Public Health Association. 2020. Improving Access to Dental Care for Pregnant Women Through Education, Integration of Health Services, Insurance Coverage, an Appropriate Dental Workforce, and Research. Washington, DC: American Public Health Association.
• Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors. 2019. Best Practice Approach: Perinatal Oral Health. Sparks, NV: Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors.
• Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors. 2020. Perinatal Oral Health Policy Statement. Sparks, NV: Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors.
• Battani K, Kolo S, Owen C, Fischer D, Bagin A. 2024. Integrating Oral Health Care and Primary Care Learning Collaborative: A State and Local Partnership Final Report. Washington, DC: National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center.
• Clark MB, Douglass AB, Maier R, Deutchman M, Gonsalves W, Silk H, Wrightson AS, Quinonez R, Dolce M, Dalal M, Rizzolo D, Sievers K. 2010–. Smiles for Life: A National Oral Health Curriculum (3rd ed.). Leawood, KS: Society of Teachers of Family Medicine.
• Fischer D, Kolo S, Battani K. 2024. Integrating Oral Health Evaluation into Prenatal Care: Considerations and Examples. Washington, DC: National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center.
• Holt K, Barzel R, Clark M. 2009. Two Healthy Smiles: Tips to Keep You and Your Baby Healthy (also in Spanish). Washington, DC: National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center. 
• Lorenzo S, Goodman H, Stemmler P, Holt K, Barzel R (eds.) 2019. The Maternal and Child Health Bureau–Funded Perinatal and Infant Oral Health Quality Improvement (PIOHQI) Initiative 2013–2019: Final Report. Washington, DC: National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center.
• National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center. 2024. Networks for Oral Health Integration (NOHI) Within the Maternal and Child Health Safety Net: Overview and Project Profiles–Update 2024. Washington, DC: National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center.
• National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center. 2020. Oral Health Care During Pregnancy: A Resource Guide (3rd ed.). Washington, DC: National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center.

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