Barriers to dental care access during pregnancy in Mississippi: Findings from the 2010 Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System

Barriers to Dental Care Access during Pregnancy in Mississippi: Findings from the 2010 Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System

Mina Qobadi, DrPH (c), MA^{1, 2}, Mary Wesley, MPH², Lei Zhang, PhD, MBA²

¹Jackson State University

²Office of Health Data and Research, Mississippi State Department of Health

 

 Background: Oral health has significant health implications for both mothers and infants.  Despite the evident relationship between maternal and infant oral health, little is known about the dental care access during pregnancy and associated barriers among pregnant women in Mississippi. The aim of the study was to explore barriers to dental care access among pregnant women in Mississippi.

Research Question: What are the barriers to accessing dental care during pregnancy in Mississippi?

Method: Responses were analyzed from 1,113 pregnant women aged 18 to 44 years who participated in the 2010 Mississippi Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS). Dental care use was defined as going to a dentist or dental clinic for a checkup during the most recent pregnancy. Statistical analyses were done using descriptive statistics, Chi-square tests and logistic regression. Chi-square analyses were conducted to detect the subgroup difference related to barriers to dental care access. Logistic regression was used to investigate factors that may be associated with these barriers. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS software version 20 (IBM Corporation, Armonk, NY, USA).

Results: Overall, only 28.9% (95% CI=27.5-32.1) of all pregnant women who participated in the 2010 Mississippi PRAMS  went to a dentist or dental clinic for a checkup during their most recent pregnancy. Findings from Chi-square analyses showed that African Americans, un-married, older women, those with no insurance, less household income and less education had higher percentage of no dental care during pregnancy (P<0.001). With logistic regression, we found insurance, maternal age and education were significantly associated with not receiving dental care. Older women (>34) and those who had no insurance coverage were more likely to have no dental care visit (OR=2.1, 95% CI=1.1-3.9; OR=2.5, 95% CI=1.8-3.5, respectively). Women who had less education (high school or less) were approximately two times more likely to not have visited a dental clinic during their pregnancy (OR=2.1, 95% CI=1.2-3.9).

Conclusion: The findings demonstrate high prevalence of not receiving dental care during pregnancy in Mississippi. Having no insurance, less education, and older age are barriers to accessing dental care during pregnancy in Mississippi. Since Mississippi has low insurance coverage compared to the nation and more than half of pregnant women in Mississippi had low education level, efforts to improve general education, oral health literacy, dental care workforce, and insurance policies may lead to better dental care access during pregnancy.