Racial Disparity in Dental Care during Pregnancy: An Analysis of the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System from 2012 to 2015

Black women are less likely to visit dentists during pregnancy than White women when controlling for other socio-demographic variables. Using PRAMS data from 2012 to 2015, we examine the impact of perceived benefits of oral health and dental coverage on Black and White rates of utilizing dental care during pregnancy. Among 61,943 women of ages 20 and older with a recent history of birth in 31 states and New York City, Black women were significantly less likely to visit dentists for cleaning compared with White women. Compared with White women without dental coverage, Black women without dental coverage had more than 30% lower odds of visiting dentists. Analysis of the subpopulation of 1,737 women from five states that implemented additional oral health questions showed that Black women were significantly more likely to have difficulty in finding dentists than White women when controlling for other socio-demographic variables.