Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Mar 27;6(1):360-368.
doi: 10.1089/whr.2024.0187. eCollection 2025.

Addressing Oral Health Disparities in Pregnancy: Oral Health Risk Factors and Clinical Findings at a Safety-Net Hospital in the Bronx

Megan Cloidt  1   2 , Parth Shah  1 , Erica Robles  1 , Molly Findley  3   4 , Nadia Laniado  1   2
Affiliations

Addressing Oral Health Disparities in Pregnancy: Oral Health Risk Factors and Clinical Findings at a Safety-Net Hospital in the Bronx

Megan Cloidt et al. Womens Health Rep (New Rochelle). .

Abstract

Background: Pregnant women have been identified as a special adult population that is particularly vulnerable to oral diseases. The aims of this study were (1) to determine the prevalence of oral disease risk factors and (2) to examine the association between having a dental visit in the last 12 months and obvious tooth decay among a sample of pregnant women with low income.

Methods: This cross-sectional study analyzed the outcomes of oral health risk assessments for 554 pregnant women in a municipal hospital in the Bronx, New York. Descriptive statistical analyses were performed to examine the characteristics of the study population. Simple and multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the association between having a dental visit in the last 12 months and obvious tooth decay.

Results: Overall, 28.2% of participants had a dental visit in the last 12 months and 87.7% had dental insurance. Over half of individuals reported frequent consumption of sugary beverages (52.2%). Nearly 30% of the participants showed signs of obvious tooth decay. There was no statistically significant association between last dental visit and obvious tooth decay (odds ratio = 1.02, 95% confidence interval [0.67-1.56]).

Conclusions: The high prevalence of unmet oral health needs despite widespread dental insurance coverage in this study sample suggests other barriers to oral health care beyond insurance coverage. The findings from this study underscore the complexity of oral disease and the potential role that targeted, interprofessional efforts can have on the promotion of oral health in vulnerable pregnant women.

Keywords: access to health care; dental care; oral health; pregnancy; prenatal care; social determinants of health.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. American Public Health Association. Improving Access to Dental Care for Pregnant Women through Education, Integration of Health Services, Insurance Coverage, an Appropriate Dental Workforce, and Research. 2020. Available from: https://www.apha.org/policies-and-advocacy/public-health-policy-statemen... [Last accessed: January 27, 2025].
    1. Wu M, Chen SW, Jiang SY. Relationship between gingival inflammation and pregnancy. Mediators Inflamm 2015;2015:623427; doi: 10.1155/2015/623427 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kumar J, Crall JJ, Holt K. Oral health of women and children: Progress, challenges, and priorities. Matern Child Health J 2023;27(11):1930–1942; doi: 10.1007/s10995-023-03757-7 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Spencer M, Idzik SK. Dental screening and referral during prenatal care. MCN Am J Matern Child Nurs 2023;48(6):320–325; doi: 10.1097/nmc.0000000000000957 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Weintraub JA, Finlayson TL, Gansky SA, et al. . Clinically determined and self-reported dental status during and after pregnancy among low-income Hispanic women. J Public Health Dent 2013;73(4):311–320; doi: 10.1111/jphd.12029 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources