Abstract
Background/Objectives: Pregnancy and the postnatal period offer an opportunity to establish preventive oral health behaviors benefiting mothers and children. However, many pregnant women have limited knowledge of oral health and early childhood caries prevention. This study assessed oral health knowledge among pregnant and puerperal women attending a tertiary referral hospital in Spain and evaluated the effect of a brief educational intervention. Methods: A quasi-experimental pre–post study was conducted following TREND guidelines and registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT07413393). Participants completed a questionnaire on demographics, oral health knowledge, attitudes, and educational background. They then received an educational intervention based solely on written educational materials, consisting of a brief explanation and a leaflet based on international paediatric dentistry guidelines. Knowledge changes among women completing follow-up were analyzed using the paired Student’s t-test and Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Results: Of 229 women completing the baseline assessment, 130 completed follow-up. Educational level was the main independent factor associated with higher baseline knowledge. Major gaps concerned maternal influence on early oral microbial colonization, recognized by only 38.86% of participants, and recognition of white spot lesions as the earliest sign of caries (10.77%). Overall knowledge improved significantly after the intervention (p = 0.018), particularly regarding nocturnal bottle feeding and caries (p = 0.0001) and timing of the first dental visit (p = 0.04). Conclusions: Pregnant and puerperal women showed important gaps in preventive oral health knowledge. A brief educational intervention improved overall knowledge, although deficiencies remained. Integrated multidisciplinary oral health education during prenatal care may improve maternal and child outcomes.