Oral health and dental care of pregnant women: bibliometric study, systematic review and content analysis

Objectives: Pregnant women, their oral health and care are of interest to dentists as they are complex events, which affect the present and future health of these women and their children. But research related to these issues is understood and addressed in various ways. The objectives of this study were: 1)To characterize publications, authors and institutions working these issues. 2)To analyze the quality of the evidence concerning these issues and 3)To conduct content analyzes of the articles to identify ontological, epistemological and methodological aspects of the scientific production related to the topic.
Methods: The systematic search methodology was applied in three databases (PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science).
Results: Bibliometric indicators of activity (number of publications per year, countries, institutions and authors) and relationship (co-authorship) were established. Moreover, the scientific evidence showed that research of cross-sectional observational studies prevails. There are few controlled clinical trials and are aimed to assess effectiveness of periodontal treatment in pregnant women. The evidence level of scientific literature is low. As for the content analysis, in ontological terms, three main components were observed: 1)understanding the relationship of oral health and dental care of pregnant women, comparing biological differences between men and women. 2)The oral health impact of pregnant woman on the general and oral health of her child and, 3)understand the pregnancy - oral health relationship, its impact on general and oral health in these women. Few investigations explore social determinants. In epistemological terms, investigations from positivist perspectives prevail. Methodologically, the implementation of quantitative techniques prevail.
Conclusions: In conclusion, it is necessary to strengthen the relationship between the biological with the social aspect of oral health and dental care of pregnant women considering different epistemological and methodological perspectives.