Pregnant Women's Knowledge of Baby's Oral Health in a Basic Health Unit, Fortaleza, Brazil

Objective: To assess the knowledge of pregnant women on the oral health of the baby. Material and Methods: The study sample consisted of pregnant women who took prenatal exams in the period of data collection (n=125), randomly selected while using the service at the health unit. Data were collected using a form with open-and closedended question about pregnant women's identification, socioeconomic characteristics and knowledge of oral health of the baby. All information collected was processed in Epi-Info version 3.5.1 TM, for Windows, and were presented with absolute and relative frequency. Results: Data analyses showed that the surveyed women were aware of the importance of breastfeeding and the need for early implementation of hygienic measures. However, they were unaware of some fundamental concepts for effective promotion of oral health of the baby, such as caries transmissibility, the optimal timing for the first dental visit, use of bottle and etiological factors of dental caries. Furthermore, 81.6% of the women were not instructed on oral health during prenatal care. Conclusion: It is necessary to implement a strategy focused on oral health care for pregnant women, because during pregnancy the woman is more receptive to new information and changes habits that, in turn, will reflect in the promotion of their children's oral health.