Oral Health Care
Over the past twenty five years a growing body of research has supported
an association between poor oral health/chronic oral infection with the
increased incidence of preterm labor and low birth-weight babies. According
to the Centers for Disease Control, the second leading cause of infant
mortality is the combination of premature birth and low birth-weight. The
need to educate health care professionals in recognizing the direct
correlation between oral health and overall health is paramount.
Reports on the Blueprint to Improve Perinatal Health (2007) further explicates
the issue.
The Perinatal Partnership is working to:
- Encourage and support a broad partnership of health professionals to work together to assure that all health care providers are aware of the association between oral health and overall health, therefore recognizing the correlation between infectious oral disease and unfavorable birth outcomes.
- Encourage and support programs working with families to promote oral care before, during, and after pregnancy as a key strategy to improve maternal health, fetal development, infant health, and birth outcomes.
- Encourage the Bureau for Medical Services to review the reimbursement rates for Medicaid-covered dental services and evaluate the positive impact of preventable dental services for all women of childbearing age. Dental care for all pregnant women may result in an overall cost savings by reducing the number of PT/LBW incidences.