Oral Health Needs Assessment of Pregnant Women/Mothers in Berkeley: A Mixed-Methods Approach
Background Optimal oral health during pregnancy is important for maternal and child health.Aim To assess the prenatal oral health needs of low-income women in Berkeley, California, and identify barriers and facilitators to dental care.Methods The study surveyed 57 pregnant and post-partum women rece...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2025-12-01
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| Series: | Journal of the California Dental Association |
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| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/19424396.2025.2481665 |
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| author | Karen Raju Baharak Amanzadeh Karen Sokal-Gutierrez |
| author_facet | Karen Raju Baharak Amanzadeh Karen Sokal-Gutierrez |
| author_sort | Karen Raju |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background Optimal oral health during pregnancy is important for maternal and child health.Aim To assess the prenatal oral health needs of low-income women in Berkeley, California, and identify barriers and facilitators to dental care.Methods The study surveyed 57 pregnant and post-partum women receiving public health services, and descriptive and multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed. A community focus group further explored dental service utilization, and content analysis identified themes.Results Overall, 43% of women reported dental problems during pregnancy. While 80% of the women reported that their prenatal medical provider recommended a prenatal dental visit and 75% knew that their health insurance covered dental visits, 41% did not have a prenatal dental visit. Women were significantly more likely to have had a prenatal dental visit if they knew that their health insurance covered it. The survey identified barriers to accessing prenatal dental care: financial, difficulty getting timely appointments, lack of awareness, fear and anxiety from dental procedures, time constraints, and not having a dentist. Barriers identified in the focus group were as follows: 1) Dental fear, mistrust, and perceived disrespect in dental settings; 2) Uncertainties and misconceptions about dental services; and 3) Limited dental insurance and access to dental providers/services.Conclusion To improve perinatal oral health and utilization of prenatal dental care, policies and programs are needed to support prenatal medical-dental integration, coverage for Medi-Cal dental services during pregnancy, and recruitment and training of Medi-Cal dental providers in cultural sensitivity, communication, trauma-informed care, and minimally-invasive care. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9b1099f4292a400f85aa19c4dc5e1819 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1942-4396 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-12-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of the California Dental Association |
| spelling | doaj-art-9b1099f4292a400f85aa19c4dc5e18192025-08-20T02:10:39ZengTaylor & Francis GroupJournal of the California Dental Association1942-43962025-12-0153110.1080/19424396.2025.2481665Oral Health Needs Assessment of Pregnant Women/Mothers in Berkeley: A Mixed-Methods ApproachKaren Raju0Baharak Amanzadeh1Karen Sokal-Gutierrez2Adjunct Instructor, University of California, San Francisco, California, USAPublic Health and Innovation Consultant, Assistant Clinical Professor, University of California, San Francisco, California, USASchool of Public Health, Clinical Professor, University of California, Berkeley, California, USABackground Optimal oral health during pregnancy is important for maternal and child health.Aim To assess the prenatal oral health needs of low-income women in Berkeley, California, and identify barriers and facilitators to dental care.Methods The study surveyed 57 pregnant and post-partum women receiving public health services, and descriptive and multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed. A community focus group further explored dental service utilization, and content analysis identified themes.Results Overall, 43% of women reported dental problems during pregnancy. While 80% of the women reported that their prenatal medical provider recommended a prenatal dental visit and 75% knew that their health insurance covered dental visits, 41% did not have a prenatal dental visit. Women were significantly more likely to have had a prenatal dental visit if they knew that their health insurance covered it. The survey identified barriers to accessing prenatal dental care: financial, difficulty getting timely appointments, lack of awareness, fear and anxiety from dental procedures, time constraints, and not having a dentist. Barriers identified in the focus group were as follows: 1) Dental fear, mistrust, and perceived disrespect in dental settings; 2) Uncertainties and misconceptions about dental services; and 3) Limited dental insurance and access to dental providers/services.Conclusion To improve perinatal oral health and utilization of prenatal dental care, policies and programs are needed to support prenatal medical-dental integration, coverage for Medi-Cal dental services during pregnancy, and recruitment and training of Medi-Cal dental providers in cultural sensitivity, communication, trauma-informed care, and minimally-invasive care.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/19424396.2025.2481665Pregnancydental visitlow-incomeneeds assessment |
| spellingShingle | Karen Raju Baharak Amanzadeh Karen Sokal-Gutierrez Oral Health Needs Assessment of Pregnant Women/Mothers in Berkeley: A Mixed-Methods Approach Journal of the California Dental Association Pregnancy dental visit low-income needs assessment |
| title | Oral Health Needs Assessment of Pregnant Women/Mothers in Berkeley: A Mixed-Methods Approach |
| title_full | Oral Health Needs Assessment of Pregnant Women/Mothers in Berkeley: A Mixed-Methods Approach |
| title_fullStr | Oral Health Needs Assessment of Pregnant Women/Mothers in Berkeley: A Mixed-Methods Approach |
| title_full_unstemmed | Oral Health Needs Assessment of Pregnant Women/Mothers in Berkeley: A Mixed-Methods Approach |
| title_short | Oral Health Needs Assessment of Pregnant Women/Mothers in Berkeley: A Mixed-Methods Approach |
| title_sort | oral health needs assessment of pregnant women mothers in berkeley a mixed methods approach |
| topic | Pregnancy dental visit low-income needs assessment |
| url | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/19424396.2025.2481665 |
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