Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of pregnant women regarding maternal and child oral health: questionnaire development, psychometric properties, and associated factors.

The aims of the present study were to develop and measure the psychometric properties of a questionnaire to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of pregnant women regarding maternal and child oral health; administer the instrument to a group of women receiving prenatal care; and evaluate the influences of socioeconomic, demographic, and gestational factors on these attributes. The psychometric properties of the complete questionnaire were evaluated using content validity index (CVI), exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC]). The questionnaire was completed by 245 pregnant women between May 2022 and May 2023. Information on demographics, knowledge about MCOH, dental visit frequency, and fear of dentistry was collected. Generalized linear regression models were performed (P < 0.05). The S-CVI (total scale) was 0.90, indicating excellent content validity and demonstrating that the instrument adequately represents the construct that was assessed. The EFA validated 2 knowledge constructs and 1 practice/attitude construct. The ICC ranged from 0.669 to 0.780 for the knowledge section and from 0.770 to 0.921 for the attitudes and practices section. Low knowledge (60.4% of respondents) was associated with multiparity (P = 0.020) and lower education levels (P < 0.05). Most of the pregnant women who responded to the questionnaire consumed sugar up to 3 times a day (54.3%), did not visit the dentist during pregnancy (38.8%), and reported fear that dentistry represented a risk to the baby (29.4%). Participants who visited the dentist during pregnancy exhibited more positive practices and attitudes (P < 0.001) and higher education levels (P < 0.05). The present questionnaire is valid and reliable, and shows that, in pregnant women, low knowledge regarding maternal and child oral health is influenced by lower education levels and multiparity. Dental visits during pregnancy are associated with positive oral health attitudes and practices.