Table 3 Attitudes to Perinatal Oral Health items of ANC Providers in NSW
| Attitude |
ANC N = 393 No. (%) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Agree | Not Sure | Disagree | |
| Maintaining oral health during pregnancy is important | 388 (99.0%) | 2 (0.5%) | 2 (0.5%) |
| Pregnant women should receive a dental check early in their pregnancy | 367 (93.4%) | 21 (5.3%) | 5 (1.3%) |
| Pregnant women are more likely to seek dental care if their antenatal care providers recommend it | 368 (93.6%) | 18 (4.6%) | 7 (1.8%) |
| Currently there is good understanding between ANC providers and dentists regarding dental care for pregnant women | 51 (13.0%) | 119 (30.3%) | 223 (56.7) |
| There is insufficient time to advise pregnant women on oral health during antenatal visit | 123 (31.6%) | 42 (10.8%) | 224 (57.6%) |
| Asking pregnant women about oral health is outside routine ANC practice | 93 (23.8%) | 32 (8.2%) | 265 (67.9%) |
| Conducting a visual mouth examination during pregnancy is outside routine GP/O&G practice | 217 (55.6%) | 42 (10.8%) | 131 (33.6%) |
| The cost of dental treatment is a barrier to advising pregnant women | 222 (56.9%) | 47 (12.1%) | 121 (31.0%) |
| I have the skills to advise pregnant women on oral health | 121 (31.0%) | 107 (27.4%) | 162 (41.5%) |
| Oral assessments of pregnant women at antenatal visits is important | 234 (60.2%) | 113 (29.0%) | 42 (10.8%) |
| I feel confident about performing oral assessments | 70 (17.9%) | 77 (19.7%) | 243 (62.3%) |
| Pregnant women will be comfortable with a GP/O&G assessing oral health during normal antenatal checkups | 171 (43.8%) | 137 (35.1%) | 82 (21.0%) |
| The link betwen periodontal disease and preterm birth is too tenuous for me to warn pregnant women about it | 32 (8.2%) | 139 (35.6%) | 219 (56.2%) |
| The link between dental caries in mothers and in babies is too tenuous for me to warn my patients about it | 34 (8.7%) | 142 (36.5%) | 213 (54.8%) |
| I am concerned about being sued if something goes wrong in a pregnancy | 92 (23.7%) | 51 (13.1%) | 245 (63.1%) |
| I am interested in further information about dental care to pregnant women | 363 (92.8%) | 13 (3.3%) | 15 (3.8%) |
| I am interested in further training to provide dental assessments to pregnant women | 297 (76.3%) | 51 (13.1%) | 41 (10.5%) |
| There is a need for universal guidelines for oral health care during pregnancy for all health professionals | 367 (94.1%) | 14 (3.6%) | 9 (2.3%) |