The evaluation of an oral health education program for midwives in Australia

Abstract

Background: Antenatal care providers are now recommended to promote oral health during pregnancy and provide dental referrals. However, midwives in Australia are not trained to undertake this role. To address this shortcoming, an online evidence based midwifery initiated oral health (MIOH) education program was systematically developed as a professional development activity. Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the program in improving the oral health knowledge of midwives and assess their confidence to promote maternal oral health post training. Methods: The program was evaluated using a pre-post test design involving 50 midwives purposively recruited from two states in Au..