title: Self-Perceived Oral Health and Use of Dental Services by Pregnant Women in Surrey, British Columbia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to determine the self-reported oral health status and needs and the patterns of use of dental services by a sample of pregnant women from diverse ethnic backgrounds in the city of Surrey, British Columbia, Canada.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 34-item cross-sectional survey was administered to women enrolling in a prenatal program for 4 months in 2012/13. For data analysis, we used a 2-sample t test and tested categorical variables using a χ2 test. We used multivariable logistic regression analysis to estimate the odds ratio for the variables, self-reported oral health status and use of dental services.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 740 pregnant women who participated in this survey (87% of registrants), 30% were considered vulnerable because of inability to live within their household income, smoking status, self-reported depression, lack of dental insurance and time since last dental visit. Most respondents (84%) rated their oral health good or excellent. Almost half of the women had not visited a dental professional during the past year, while 23% saw a dental professional only for emergency purposes. Women with dental insurance were 6.6 times more likely to have visited a dental professional than those without insurance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although most pregnant women considered dental care during pregnancy to be important, almost half had not visited a dental professional during the pregnancy.
authors.forename: Abbas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jessani
authors.forename: Denise
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Laronde
authors.forename: Kavita
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mathu-Muju
authors.forename: Mario A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Brondani
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001955:British Columbia; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003729:Dental Care; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007347:Insurance, Dental; D009909:Oral Health; D011247:Pregnancy; D037841:Pregnant People; D057566:Self Report