PERCEPTION OF DENTAL PRENATAL CARE BY PREGNANT AND POSTPARTUM WOMEN ASSISTED IN A MATERNITY HOSPITAL

Objective: to understand the perception of pregnant and postpartum women about dental prenatal care. Methods: descriptive, exploratory study with qualitative approach, conducted in a maternity hospital of a city in the interior of ceara, through interviews with pregnant women, from the third trimester, and postpartum women. Data collection occurred in 2020. Then, the empirical content was analyzed and categorized following the assumptions of thematic analysis. Results: twenty women among pregnant and postpartum women participated in the research. From the perception of the participants, three categories were elaborated, namely: the perception of dental prenatal care, according to the pregnant and postpartum women's point of view; dialogical relations between pregnant women and health professionals; and implications of the lack of information on dental care during pregnancy. Conclusion: pregnant women recognize that dental care during pregnancy is important, but they do not understand the positive consequences or the meaning of this assistance.