ArticleBMC oral health2026
Examining the association of maternal oral health experiences with adverse birth outcomes: findings from Virginia's PRAMS survey.
Article in BMC oral health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPreterm birth (PTB) and low birth weight (LBW) are significant public health challenges globally, contributing to neonatal morbidity, mortality, and long-term complications. Maternal oral health has been increasingly recognized as a potential contributor to PTB and LBW, yet there is inconclusive evidence about the effectiveness of dental cleaning in preventing PTB and LBW. This study examined the association between dental cleaning during pregnancy and the prevalence of PTB and LBW using data from the Virginia Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS).
methodsWe analyzed data from Virginia PRAMS Phases 7 and 8, spanning a 10-year period from 2012 to 2022. Oral health experiences, including dental cleaning during pregnancy, were self-reported. PTB and LBW were obtained from birth certificates. Weighted logistic regression models were used to examine the association between oral health and PTB or LBW, while adjusting for potential confounders. Missing data was addressed through multiple imputation.
resultsAmong 8,820 women, 9.29% (95% CI: 9.23–9.34%) experienced PTB and 7.13% (95% CI: 6.57–7.72%) delivered a LBW infant. In unadjusted analyses, dental cleaning during pregnancy was significantly associated with reduced odds of PTB (OR = 0.79; 95% CI: 0.65–0.99) and LBW (OR = 0.79; 95% CI: 0.65–0.96). After adjusting for potential confounders using both traditional multivariable models or propensity score, the associations were attenuated and lost statistical significance, although the direction of effect consistently suggested a protective role of dental cleaning.
conclusionIntegrating preventive oral health services into prenatal care may contribute to improved birth outcomes and should remain a public health priority.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.