Pregnancy and Women’s Oral Health

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This course addresses the importance of oral health before, during, and after pregnancy. Clinicians will explore the prevalence of oral disease during pregnancy and its consequences for both mothers and children, as well as review dental treatment guidelines for pregnant women.

Educational Objectives for the Oral Health and the Pregnant Patient Course:

  • Elicit risk factors for periodontal disease and dental caries
  • Perform an oral examination using proper anatomical terms and terminology
  • Reduce the risk of caries transmission from mother to child
  • Apply the evidence for periodontitis affecting perinatal outcomes
  • Manage common oral conditions in pregnancy
  • Counsel pregnant patients about the safety of dental care and improve dental access through interprofessional collaboration
  • Acknowledge and address health inequity as it applies to pregnant women and oral health
  • Promote and address oral health issues across the lifespan for women

If you are already logged in, scroll down to the Course Content and select a topic to begin this course. If you are not logged in, select the green Register for Courses link above. You can navigate through the course by pressing the "Next Page" and "Previous Page" buttons, or select each page on the left sidebar menu. The "Mark Complete" button will also automatically advance the page. If you are only completing a few pages at  a time, you may utilize the "Mark Complete" feature at the bottom to track your progress in each course. It is not necessary to mark each page to complete the course or to be eligible to take the assessment.  

This course takes approximately one hour to complete. Each clinical case takes about 10 minutes.

Acknowledgements

All authors involved in producing the content of this course have indicated they have no relevant financial relationships to disclose.

Course Authors

  • Hugh Silk, M.D.
  • Emily Cooper, M.D.

Consultants

  • OB/GYN – Lucy Chie, M.D., M.P.H.
  • Dentistry - Rocio Quinonez, D.M.S, M.P.H.

Smiles for Life Editor

  • Melinda Clark, M.D.
  • Karlynn Sievers, M.D.

The images in this course are not to be reproduced/downloaded for purposes other than personal use. Republication, retransmission, reproduction or other use of the Licensed Material is prohibited.

Last Modified:
September 2021

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Course Content

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