Factors Influencing the Provision of Oral Health Care Practices by Antenatal Care Providers: A Systematic Review

Background: Antenatal care (ANC) providers are recommended to promote oral health care during pregnancy through the provision of oral health care practices, but studies have indicated that providers remain unclear and inconstant in adopting these practices into routine care. Therefore, the objectives were to undertake a systematic review of the current oral health care practices of ANC providers and identify factors (barriers and facilitators) that influence the provision of ANC providers' oral health care practices. Methods: Qualitative and quantitative studies were systematically searched within four databases (database inception, October 2020). Studies were selected if they were published in English and conducted in developed countries. Thematic analysis was employed where reported barriers and facilitators from the included studies were grouped by themes and were inductively categorized within a multilevel framework. Reported current oral health care practices were deductively categorized according to a predetermined assess, advise, and refer framework. Summative frequencies of oral health care practices, if reported, were also extracted. Results: A total of 3519 ANC providers were included across 26 studies. Rates of reported current oral health care practices among ANC providers varied considerably. The most reported barriers related to providers' limited oral health care knowledge, concerns with dental costs, and absence of organizational referral processes. The most reported facilitators related to providers' level of oral health care knowledge, patient prompt, and access to informational and educational resources. Conclusions: Further efforts are needed to address the range of barriers identified in this review and support ANC providers' clinical practice behaviors. This includes improved interprofessional education, training opportunities, and integrated health care models.

Automated summary

The systematic review included 26 studies with a total of 3519 ANC providers, revealing significant variations in reported oral health care practices. The main barriers identified included limited oral health care knowledge, concerns over dental costs, and absence of organizational referral processes. The key facilitators were providers' level of oral health care knowledge, patient prompt, and access to informational and educational resources. Further efforts are needed to address these barriers and support ANC providers' clinical practice behaviors.