Survey (Dentists)

Developing Perinatal Oral Health Guidelines for Health Professionals in Australia

This survey is for all health professionals involved in the care of pregnant women. The aim
of this survey is to understand the current knowledge, perceptions and practices of Dentists
in Australia towards perinatal oral health. This information gained will guide the
development of practice guidelines for oral health care of pregnant women in Australia.

The survey should take approximately 20-25 minutes to complete. It is divided into four
sections; Knowledge, Attitude, Practices, Barriers and Demographics. For most questions
please indicate your response by crossing the appropriate box . The information you
provide will be strictly confidential and the return of the completed survey indicates your
consent to participate. This study is being undertaken by the Centre for Applied Nursing
Research with the support of the University of Western Sydney (UWS), Australian Dental
Association (NSW), NSW Centre Oral Health Strategy and Philips Australia. The study has
been approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee of UWS. If you have any
queries please contact Dr Ajesh George on 02 8738 9356.

Knowledge
1. The following statements explore Dentists knowledge about oral health and pregnancy.
Please indicate you agreement with the following statements by crossing the boxes.
Oral health and pregnancy True False Not
Sure
Pregnancy exacerbates existing dental problems
Gingivitis is more serious than Periodontitis.
Calcium will be drawn out of mother’s teeth by developing baby
Gingivitis is a potentially reversible infection of the gums
Poor maternal oral health can contribute to early childhood decay
Periodontal disease has been associated with the following:
 Stillbirth
 Preterm delivery
 Spontaneous abortion/miscarriage
 Preeclampsia
 Low birth weight
Women should receive preventive dental care during pregnancy

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Basic dental treatment is safe during pregnancy
It is unsafe to obtain dental radiographs in pregnant women
Pregnant women should receive only emergency dental care
Elective dental treatment should be delayed until after pregnancy
These dental procedures are safe during pregnancy:
 Extractions
 Local anaesthetic
 Root canal
 Scaling and root planning
These medications are safe during pregnancy:
 Paracetamol
 Aspirin
 NSAIDs
 Amoxicillin
 Erythromycin
 Doxycycline

2. Please indicate by crossing which of the following options best answers the statements
provided. Cross all that apply.
1st 2nd 3rd Not Never
trimester trimester trimester sure

Safety of dental procedures

 Scaling and root planning

 Radiographs

 Endodontic/RCT therapy

 Administering local anaesthetic

 Providing nitrous oxide

 Extracting teeth

 Incising and draining an abscess

 Placing a temporary restoration

 Antibiotics

 Analgesics

The ideal time to provide preventive

dental care for a pregnant women is

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Attitude

The following statements relate to attitudes towards oral health care for pregnant women.
Please indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with the following statements.

Strongly Agree Not Strongly Disagree

sure
Dental treatment during pregnancy
Maintaining oral health during
pregnancy is important 1 2 3 4 5
Pregnant women should receive a
dental check early in their pregnancy 1 2 3 4 5

Treatment of periodontal disease

during pregnancy positively affects 1 2 3 4 5
pregnancy outcome

Pregnant women are more likely to 1 2 3 4 5

seek dental care if their antenatal care
providers recommend it

Antenatal care providers are better

able than dentists to counsel pregnant 1 2 3 4 5
women about oral health

I am concerned about providing

treatment to pregnant women without 1 2 3 4 5
consent from their GPs.

Currently there is a good 1 2 3 4 5

understanding between antenatal care
providers and dentists regarding
dental care for pregnant women

Advising pregnant women

My practice is too busy to provide oral 1 2 3 4 5

health advise for pregnant women
There is insufficient time to advise
pregnant women on oral health during 1 2 3 4 5
a dental visit

I have the skills to advise pregnant

women on oral health 1 2 3 4 5
The cost of dental treatment is a
barrier to advising pregnant women 1 2 3 4 5

Efficacy of oral health advise and

treatment
There is little I can do to affect a 1 2 3 4 5
pregnant women’s oral hygiene

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The link between periodontal disease 1 2 3 4 5
and preterm birth is too tenuous for
me to warn pregnant women about it

The link between dental caries in

mothers and in babies is too tenuous
for me to warn my patients about it 1 2 3 4 5

Desire for education and information

I am interested in further information 1 2 3 4 5

about dental care to pregnant women
I am interested in further training to
provide dental treatment to pregnant
women 1 2 3 4 5

There is a need for universal

guidelines for oral health care during
pregnancy for all health professionals 1 2 3 4 5

Practices

The following are questions relating to the practices of Dentists when treating
pregnant women. Please indicate how often you provide the following.

Practices in oral health care during pregnancy Always Sometimes Never

I discuss the importance of oral health with pregnant

women during clinical care
I advise pregnant women to delay dental visits until
after pregnancy
I advise pregnant women to visit dentists during early
pregnancy
I provide counselling regarding the association of poor
periodontal health with negative birth outcomes
I provide counselling regarding caries prevention and
transmission
I consult obstetricians before/ after dental procedures

Types of dental treatment I advise to receive during

pregnancy:
 Routine Examination
 Routine cleaning
 Periodontal (gum) treatment
 Fillings/Crowns
Routine treatments I undertake:
 Scaling and root planning
 Radiographs- Single periapical
 Full mouth radiographs
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 Single tooth extraction
 Endodontic/RCT therapy
 Administering local anaesthetic
 Providing nitrous oxide
 Extracting tooth
 Opening and broaching to relieve pain
 Incising and draining an abscess
 Placing a temporary restoration
 Antibiotics

Barriers

The following statements relate to possible challenges Dentists may face when providing
dental care to pregnant women. Please indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree
with the following statements.

Barriers in oral health care for pregnant Strongly Agree Not Strongly disagree
women sure
Lack of time for providing advise 1 2 3 4 5
Inability for pregnant women to pay for 1 2 3 4 5
dental care
Legal risks associated with negative birth 1 2 3 4 5
outcomes
Concern of pregnant women about safety of 1 2 3 4 5
dental procedures
My lack of knowledge of risks involved 1 2 3 4 5
when treating pregnant women
Lack of knowledge of importance of oral 1 2 3 4 5
health during pregnancy
Lack of practice guidelines on oral health 1 2 3 4 5
care during pregnancy in Australia
Lack of demand for these services 1 2 3 4 5
Staff resistance 1 2 3 4 5
Patient lack of concern with oral health care 1 2 3 4 5
during pregnancy
Peer pressure 1 2 3 4 5
Risk of labour in dental practice 1 2 3 4 5
Other Health professionals (i.e. GPs, 1 2 3 4 5
Midwives and Gynaecologists) are more
able to provide counselling for pregnant
women for their oral health needs

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Demographics

Age at last birthday

Gender  Male  Female

Main area of employment (tick one only)  Private

 Health fund
 Public Services
 Other:___________
Main role in employment (tick one only)  General Practice
 Specialist
 Teacher/educator
 Researcher
 Administrator

Average number of hours worked per week

Highest qualification obtained  Bachelors degree

 Postgraduate diploma
 Masters degree
 Doctorate degree

Average experience as a Dentist

Location of practice (post code/suburb)
What is the average number of pregnant  None
women you would treat per month
 1-5
 6-10
 >10

Which of the following health professionals  Midwives

provides you most of the referrals of
 General Practitioner
pregnant women
 Obstetrician/Gynaecologist

Have you received any formal education/  Yes  No

training on oral health care during pregnancy

Do you have any information/brochures on  Yes  No

oral health during pregnancy in your practice

If you would like more information/resources on oral health care during pregnancy please
provide your email or postal address

Thank you for participating

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