Abstract
This study aims to understand the current status of oral health behaviors during pregnancy and to explore issues necessary to maintain good oral health for pregnant women and their fetuses. The need for oral health care during pregnancy is listed in the Maternal and Child Health Handbook with a grant certificate, but it is not fully utilized. However, because oral health management of children begins in the fetal period, it is necessary to raise awareness of oral health behaviors during pregnancy, and to continue efforts until the postpartum period and child-rearing period. Therefore, a self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted to understand the current status of oral health behaviors during pregnancy, and data from 32 valid responses were obtained and analyzed. The results showed that there was a significant difference between the presence or absence of a family dentist and the presence or absence of a family dentist in the items of habit of regular dental checkups before pregnancy, use of supplementary cleaning tools, and experience of dental caries and periodontal disease prevention guidance. In other words, the importance of having a family dentist and practicing dental checkups before childbirth became clear. In addition, in order to promote the attendance of pregnant women for dental health examinations, it is necessary to collaborate with multiple professions, such as by holding seminars on the importance of oral health behavior for obstetricians and midwives, with whom pregnant women are most closely involved.
