UNC dental students to focus on pregnant patients

The University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Dentistry recently announced that it has instituted a new student clinic rotation focusing on treating and triaging pregnant women for fourth-year dental students.

The rotation is part of the Prenatal Oral Health Program (pOHP), which is funded by a grant from the Blue Cross/Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation. The program is designed to educate all prenatal healthcare providers and expectant women on how oral health affects a woman's overall health and how that can help set a trajectory of optimal oral health practices for their child.

As part of the pOHP grant, development of a pOHP kit is under way. The kit is designed to be an educational aid for both the care provider and the patient. It will contain a variety of materials for use during discussions between pregnant women and their care providers to educate women about how their oral health while pregnant affects their unborn child, including a training video for primary healthcare providers and another specific to the dental team.

The new student clinic rotation began this fall. The first phase of this initiative focuses on patient referrals by the UNC obstetrics/gynecology (ob/gyn) clinic at North Carolina Women's Hospital, as well as local Head Start programs, UNC Student Health, and select private ob/gyns.