Abstract
Introduction: During pregnancy, the future mother’s body undergoes changes that affect the health of her oral cavity. During this period a woman should visit a dentist and adopt proper dietary and hygienic habits. The health awareness and knowledge of the future mother about the prevention of oral diseases are necessary to delay the colonization of the child’s oral cavity with cariogenic bacteria and thus prevent caries and its complications.
The aim of the study was to assess the awareness of pregnant women and mothers of infants in Poland regarding the prevention of children’s oral diseases.
Materials and methods: A survey of 125 pregnant women and mothers of infants was conducted.
Results: The study shows that the majority of women (84.8%) were convinced of the need to see a dentist during pregnancy. A similar percentage (88.8%) knew that both preventive and therapeutic procedures could be performed during this period. Two thirds of the women correctly answered the question of which oral hygiene procedures should be performed by the future mother. Only 38.4% of the respondents knew that the condition of the pregnant woman’s teeth can influence the development of caries in the child, and 54.4% of the respondents knew about the possibility of transfer of cariogenic bacteria from the mother’s oral cavity to the child’s oral cavity. 52.8% of women would take their child to the dentist on time, i.e. between 6–12 months of age. Half of the respondents believed that the use of fluoride was safe, and even fewer – 46.4% – believed that a child could use fluoride toothpaste. The main source of information on children’s oral health for the women surveyed was the Internet (53.6%).
Conclusions: The study showed that health awareness and oral health knowledge among pregnant women and mothers of young children are inadequate and that dentists need to intensify educational efforts.