Centre for Rural Health, College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, Launceston, Tasmania, Australia.
Violet Vines Marshman Centre for Rural Health Research, La Trobe University, Bendigo, Victoria, Australia.
Community Dent Oral Epidemiol. 2024 Feb;52(1):47-58. doi: 10.1111/cdoe.12900. Epub 2023 Jul 29.
To explore women's oral health experiences and barriers to dental care and identify potential strategies to improve oral health during pregnancy.
A qualitative descriptive study design was used. Purposively elected antepartum and postpartum women ≥18 years of age from Tasmania, Australia, were recruited using maximum variation sampling. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, and all qualitative data were analysed using an inductive thematic approach.
Fifteen women were interviewed with a mean ± SD age of 32.3 ± 4.5 years. Three key themes were generated from the data that described women's perceived changes in their oral health during pregnancy; barriers to oral health care during and after pregnancy; and perceived strategies to improve access to care. Most women acknowledged the importance of maintaining good oral health but reported a decline in their oral health status during pregnancy. Women also identified several barriers to dental care, including treatment costs, competing maternal priorities, limited oral health knowledge and negative perceptions towards dentistry. The provision of preventative oral health care by ANC providers was also limited. Community awareness, patient education resources and assessment tools could support the promotion of oral health care. Women also perceived that interprofessional collaboration between antenatal and dental providers played a key role in promoting oral health.
This study explored women's varied oral health experiences and perceptions during pregnancy and highlighted critical barriers and enablers to dental care. Policy-level strategies that promote interprofessional collaboration between antenatal and dental providers and expand dental care access are suggested to overcome barriers to oral health for women during pregnancy.
探讨女性的口腔健康体验和口腔保健障碍，并确定在怀孕期间改善口腔健康的潜在策略。
采用定性描述性研究设计。从澳大利亚塔斯马尼亚州，通过最大变异抽样，选择年龄≥18 岁的产前和产后女性进行有目的的选择。采用半结构式访谈进行访谈，所有定性数据均采用归纳主题方法进行分析。
共对 15 名年龄为 32.3±4.5 岁的女性进行了访谈。从数据中得出了三个主要主题，描述了女性在怀孕期间对口腔健康的感知变化；怀孕期间和产后口腔保健的障碍；以及改善获得护理的感知策略。大多数女性都认识到保持良好口腔健康的重要性，但报告说在怀孕期间口腔健康状况有所下降。女性还确定了一些口腔保健障碍，包括治疗费用、孕产妇优先事项的竞争、有限的口腔健康知识以及对牙科的负面看法。 ANC 提供者提供的预防性口腔保健也很有限。社区意识、患者教育资源和评估工具可以支持促进口腔保健。女性还认为，产前和牙科提供者之间的跨专业合作在促进口腔健康方面发挥着关键作用。
本研究探讨了女性在怀孕期间口腔健康体验和感知的多样性，并强调了口腔保健的关键障碍和促进因素。建议采取政策层面的策略，促进产前和牙科提供者之间的跨专业合作，并扩大牙科保健的获得途径，以克服女性在怀孕期间的口腔健康障碍。
