Oral Health During Pregnancy: Promoting Awareness of Guidelines and Education Resources in the Evaluation of Self-Perceived Efficacy to Educate, Screen, and Refer Women During Pregnancy for the Nurse Practitioner Student

Historically, oral health (OH) care has been largely misunderstood and excluded from the realm of primary care. However, this exclusion is at odds with the fact that oral health can and does have an impact on individuals’ general health and well-being. Oral disease is considered one of the most widespread chronic diseases, despite being highly preventable. For women, pregnancy can set the stage for oral disease development or exacerbation due to multiple factors. Poor maternal oral health has been associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes, contributing to early dental caries development in their children, and detrimental effects over her lifespan. To achieve the aim of the scholarly project, a quantitative descriptive study was created to meet two objectives: (a) develop and implement an education-based intervention and (b) measure and evaluate the intervention to promote OH awareness, self-perceived efficacy, and likelihood of incorporating OH into future practice. The results from the 22 participants reported improved awareness, perceptions of confidence in the learning intervention, and likelihood to integrate OH into practice. The scholarly project successfully met the project objectives by meeting the eight essentials of doctoral education for advanced nursing practice as mandated by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing and achieved the goals of the recommended five criteria for executing a successful Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project