Schools of Dentistry, Medicine Launch Prenatal Oral Health Program Website

The UNC School of Dentistry’s Department of Pediatric Dentistry and School of Medicine’s Department of OB-GYN have launched the website for their Prenatal Oral Health Program (pOHP©). The program is designed to educate with resources for medical and dental health care providers as well as expectant mothers on the principles of prenatal oral health.

The goal of the website is to improve the health of every woman, fetus and child and engage providers to deliver essential preventive oral health services during pregnancy by using pOHP as a model of care.

The program, co-developed by Dr. Rocio Quinonez, associate professor in the Schools of Dentistry and Medicine, Departments of Pediatric Dentistry and Pediatrics, and Dr. Kim Boggess, professor in the UNC School of Medicine Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, is designed to reach every woman and child to help change trajectories of oral health.

“Many women don’t know the impact of their own oral health on the oral health of their children,” said Dr. Boggess. “That’s something that expectant mothers-and their care providers-need to know.”

“The medical and dental communities continue to work towards consistency in recommending an age 1 dental visit,” said Dr. Quinonez. “Unfortunately, by not beginning the discussion about oral care while the mother is pregnant, we’re missing the opportunity to educate the mother on how her oral care will impact her child’s, and how to care for her child’s mouth from birth to age 1.”

With easy navigations for expectant mothers and providers, this website will provide instant access to training and resources for clinical practice. Click here to go directly to the site.

Some of the funding for the program was provided by the BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina Foundation.