Very often dentists have to face a pregnant woman's
anxiety—along with her family's anxiety—over the
matter of the safety of dental treatment during pregnancy
[1]. This is due to a series of wrong assumptions
that have been made and perpetuated by the
lack of proper information, as well as by some dental
professionals who consider dental treatments to
be possibly dangerous for the fetus [2,3]. However,
it is beyond doubt that dental treatment during
pregnancy is not only safe, but also necessary.
Ideally, during prenatal testing, the pregnant
woman should be referred to a dentist.
Unfortunately, up to now, there have been no such
official guidelines in any country. Maintaining the
expectant mother's oral health is important both for
her own health and for that of the fetus. A typical
example, which has been the subject of much
research, is the relationship between periodontal
disease and the increased risk of pre-term birth and
low birthweight [4-8]. The relationship between
early childhood caries (ECC) and the transmission
of bacteria from the maternal oral flora to the baby
has increased efforts to promote oral health during
pregnancy and the perinatal period [9]. Although
there has been improvement in the dental care of
pregnant women during the past decades, inequalities
and erroneous perceptions concerning the
importance of dental care during pregnancy still
exist, affecting mainly the socio-economically
deprived in the population [10,11].
Many organisations, including the American
Dental Association (ADA), the American
Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and the American
Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD), have
developed protocols and norms in order to improve
the oral health of pregnant women and babies. They
stress that pregnancy is not a disease, thus pregnant
women should not be treated differently than the
general population.
Health care professionals (physicians and dentists)
should collaborate to develop comprehensive
prenatal testing protocols, including complete treatment
plans, which aim to prevent any problems and
restore the pregnant woman's oral health. These
protocols should also aim to inform the pregnant
woman appropriately so that she will be able to
look after the newborn baby's oral health [2].