Knowledge of Oral Health in Pregnant and Puerperal Women: Effect of a Short Educational Intervention

Background/Objectives: Pregnancy and the postnatal period offer an opportunity to establish preventive oral health behaviors benefiting mothers and children. However, many pregnant women have limited knowledge of oral health and early childhood caries prevention. This study assessed oral health knowledge among pregnant and puerperal women attending a tertiary referral hospital in Spain and evaluated the effect of a brief educational intervention.

Methods

A quasi-experimental pre-post study was conducted following TREND guidelines and registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT07413393). Participants completed a questionnaire on demographics, oral health knowledge, attitudes, and educational background. They then received an educational intervention based solely on written educational materials, consisting of a brief explanation and a leaflet based on international paediatric dentistry guidelines. Knowledge changes among women completing follow-up were analyzed using the paired Student's t-test and Wilcoxon signed-rank test.