Oral Health Education for Pregnant Women

University of Valencia300 enrolled

Overview

The goal of this research is to investigate oral health knowledge in pregnant women receiving care at Hospital La Fe and to see whether a one-time informational intervention improves this knowledge. The main questions this research aims to answer are: What is the level of oral health knowledge among pregnant women attending Hospital La Fe? Does a one-time informational intervention, delivered through a printed leaflet, improve oral health knowledge during pregnancy? What factors are related to differences in oral health knowledge among pregnant women? Participants are pregnant women receiving care at Hospital La Fe. They will: Complete a questionnaire about their oral health knowledge. Receive a printed informational leaflet about oral health during pregnancy. Complete the same questionnaire again after a period of time to see if their knowledge has changed. Researchers will compare answers before and after the leaflet is provided to see whether oral health knowledge improves. They will also explore which personal or social factors are linked to different levels of oral health knowledge.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

Purpose

HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Masking

NONE

Enrollment

300

Conditions

Knowledge Oral Health Pregnant Women

Interventions

Informational LeafletOTHER

The intervention consists of a printed informational leaflet for pregnant women. The leaflet has two sections: "For Mothers," which explains oral health care during pregnancy, and "About the Baby," which provides oral health recommendations for the newborn. The content is based on recommendations from international and national pediatric dentistry associations (AAPD, EAPD, ALOP, SEOP). Participants read the leaflet during their hospital visit and take it home for reference. The leaflet aims to improve participants' knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding oral health during pregnancy and in the first years of the child's life.

Eligibility

Sex: FEMALEMin age: 18 YearsMax age: 45 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Women aged 18-45 who have recently given birth to healthy babies, either vaginally or by cesarean section. * Ability to understand and speak Spanish. Exclusion Criteria: * Complications during pregnancy or delivery. * Newborns with major birth defects. * Participants who do not provide informed consent.

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Change in Oral Health Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices

Participants complete a questionnaire about oral health knowledge, attitudes, and practices during pregnancy and in the first years of the child's life. The difference between baseline and follow-up scores is analyzed to assess whether the informational leaflet improves knowledge, attitudes, and practices.

Time frame: From the date of administration of the first questionnaire (February 2026) to the date of completion of the second questionnaire following the intervention, assessed up to 39 weeks.