Free dental work for pregnant women

Pregnant women in Rotorua are being offered free dental treatment.

Pregnant women in Rotorua are being offered free dental services in a bid to improve the future oral health of their children.

The high proportion of women giving birth with unmet basic oral care has prompted the move, according to Lakes District Health Board community oral health services manager Juan Restrepo.

It's being run as a trial and has strict criteria, available for those with a community services card who live in suburbs classed in deprivation quintile 7 to 10.

Certain dentists carry out the work and women need to be referred by a doctor or lead maternity carer.

Mr Restrepo said making it easier for pregnant women in Rotorua to access much-needed dental services by providing it free was one way they hoped to improve children's oral health care. "The service aims to reach mums during their pregnancy and follow up to help ensure babies' dental needs are taken care of from the very start."

He said the need for the service had been highlighted by the high proportion of women giving birth with unmet basic oral health care.

"This gap can affect the mother's ongoing health generally as well as the general health of the babies across their lifespans.

"Increasing the number of high-needs pregnant women seeing a dentist is also expected to increase the number of pre-school children being seen by the community oral health team."