Beautiful Smiles! Healthy Babies! Improving Oral Health Among Pregnant Women on Medicaid

Good oral health is a critical component of overall health, particularly during pregnancy. Recent research has shown that regular dental care during pregnancy lessens the risk of poor birth outcomes. Since periodontal disease is preventable and treatable, all pregnant women should be encouraged to go to their dentist for at least one prenatal visit. Unfortunately, pregnant women often avoid all dental treatment due to the misconception that it could endanger the fetus. Pregnant women who receive Medicaid are even less likely to go to the dentist. In Rhode Island only about 30% of Medicaid recipients had a dental visit during their pregnancies. In fact, prenatal dental care is not dangerous, and the second trimester is an ideal time for routine dental care. Pregnancy is also an excellent “teachable moment” for children's oral health, which the mothers could incorporate into their babies' lives. Therefore, the Rhode Island Department of Human Services (DHS) developed the Beautiful Smiles! Healthy Babies! Initiative. This two-pronged initiative is designed to increase the number of women on Medicaid who visit a dentist during their pregnancy. A key part of the initiative is to provide a resource book to key community service providers, such as school nurse teachers and family resource counselors. These providers are trusted sources of information to the community and are ideally situated to deliver this critical oral health promotion message. DHS designed the materials to address the specific needs of the at-risk population. This presentation will review the strategy and materials that DHS provided.