Positioning of Pregnant Women in the
Dental Chair
During the third trimester of pregnancy, when the
woman is supine, the uterus may press on the inferior
vena cava and impede venous return to the
heart, which may lead to hypotensive syndrome
(occurring at a rate of 15-20%) and loss of consciousness
[13].
In order to prevent this from happening during
dental treatment, when seated in the dentist's chair
the pregnant woman's head should always be higher
than her feet, and, if necessary, a small pillow (or
a folded blanket) should be placed under her right
hip ("left uterine displacement") so that the uterus
is moved away from the inferior vena cava