Welcome to the Prenatal Oral Health Program (pOHP©)!  Our goal is to reach every woman and child to help change trajectories of oral health. Evidence indicates that poor maternal oral health can have significant consequences for a woman’s systemic health and that of her children. While the previously held conceptions regarding direct microbial transmission from mother to infant have recently been challenged in favor of supporting a “dysbiotic” model of oral infectivity, a strong association still exists between maternal and child oral health. Untreated maternal dental disease nearly doubles the odds of their child having untreated and more severe dental caries. We cannot ignore a women’s oral health as a key part of her overall health and that of her children.

Emerging evidence indicates that early preventive intervention can decrease the severity of dental disease and subsequent health care costs. Thus, the delivery of these services during preconception, pregnancy, and early childhood provides an opportunity to help modify the oral health for a mother and subsequently her children. 

The pOHP© kit is the product of collaboration between the UNC-CH Schools of Dentistry and Medicine. The purpose of the login section of the website is to educate prenatal primary health care providers and dental care teams about principles of oral health during pregnancy. It is a comprehensive tool highlighting the connection between maternal and infant/child oral health, and is designed to assist providers in implementing and delivering preventive oral health services to all women of reproductive age, particularly those who are pregnant.