Self-Perceived Oral Health and Use of Dental Services by Pregnant Women in Surrey, British Columbia

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the self-reported oral health status and needs and the patterns of use of dental services by a sample of pregnant women from diverse ethnic backgrounds in the city of Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. Method: A 34-item cross-sectional survey was administered to women enrolling in a prenatal program for 4 months in 2012/13. For data analysis, we used a 2-sample t test and tested categorical variables using chi(2) test. We used multi-variable logistic regression analysis to estimate the odds ratio for the variables, self-reported oral health status and use of dental services. Results: Of the 740 pregnant women who participated in this survey (87% of registrants), 30% were considered vulnerable because of inability to live within their household income, smoking status, self-reported depression, lack of dental insurance and time since last dental visit. Most respondents (84%) rated their oral health good or excellent. Almost half of the women had not visited a dental professional during the past year, while 23% saw a dental professional only for emergency purposes. Women with dental insurance were 6.6 times more likely to have visited a dental professional than those without insurance. Conclusion: Although most pregnant women considered dental care during pregnancy to be important, almost half had not visited a dental professional during the pregnancy.