Dental News - New campaign focuses on oral health during pregnancy

New campaign focuses on oral health during pregnancy

A new campaign led by the EFP and Oral-B aims to inform health professionals and the wider public on the importance of good oral health during pregnancy. (Photograph: Garnet Photo/Shutterstock)

Dental Tribune International

Thu. 26. October 2017

save

BRUSSELS, Belgium: The European Federation of Periodontology (EFP) and Oral-B have launched a campaign to highlight the importance of oral health for pregnant women and its possible impact on delivery. The Europe-wide Oral Health and Pregnancy initiative aims to help address the problem of pregnancy gingivitis and to bring awareness and advice based on the latest scientific evidence to health professionals and women.

The core element of the Oral Health and Pregnancy initiative is a newly created dedicated web portal. It provides scientific reports, guidelines for oral and other health professionals, brochures, practical recommendations for women, a bibliography, infographics, videos, news items, features, and other educational content—all of which can be accessed free.

“Women’s oral health during pregnancy is important, not only for its possible impact on delivery—and thus the possibility of preventing complications—but also for the short- and long-term oral health of pregnant women themselves,” said coordinator of the Oral Health and Pregnancy project Dr Mariano Sanz, who is Professor and Chair of Periodontology at the Complutense University of Madrid in Spain. “This is the key message we would like to give both to health professionals and to women themselves.”

From a scientific perspective, the main contribution of the portal is the publication of four fully referenced scientific papers specially written for the initiative. According to the EFP, the articles cover the importance of women’s oral health during pregnancy, the biological mechanisms between periodontal disease and pregnancy (a narrative review of studies and a systematic review and meta-analysis), and the importance of treating periodontal disease during pregnancy.

“By raising awareness about oral health risks during pregnancy and offering simple solutions, we hope to encourage more women to seek professional dental care and to improve their at-home oral health care while expecting,” said Dr Anja Rist, professional and scientific relations manager for oral care for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at Procter & Gamble, owner of the Oral-B brand.