Integrating oral health into prenatal care: a scoping review

Purpose Integrating preventive oral care into prenatal care is suggested as a strategy for reducing the burden of oral diseases among pregnant women and their offspring. This scoping review sought to synthesize available information and identify knowledge gaps on integrating oral health into prenatal care. Design/methodology/approach The scoping review was conducted based on the Joanna Briggs Institute scoping review framework using the following databases: CINAHL, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Medline, ProQuest Dissertation and theses Global, Psychinfo and Web of Science (R). No search limits were used. Content analysis of the included articles was performed to identify conceptual frameworks, types of integration used, study designs, study objectives and outcomes. Findings Overall, 2,861 references were obtained from the databases search; and based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria 35 references were included in the final analysis. Of these 35 references, one document presented a conceptual model, six documents reviewed guidelines for integrating oral health in prenatal care, two were policy documents aimed at interprofessional collaboration for oral health during pregnancy, eight documents described programs focused on providing oral care during pregnancy, five of the references were literature reviews and the remaining 13 evaluated the impact of integration. Linkages between healthcare professionals were the most common type of integration used. Research limitations/implications Despite advances in understanding integrated care concepts for healthcare delivery, there is little evidence available on the impact of the various types of, and strategies for, integrating oral health into prenatal care. Future research to bridge the identified gaps is recommended. Originality/value The originality of this study is to provide evidence on integrated oral healthcare during pregnancy.