Purpose: The aims of this study were to assess knowledge and attitudes related to infant oral health among a Native American population and to evaluate the effectiveness of a dental education program for 1st time pregnant women. Methods: An 8 item questionnaire on infant oral health was given to first-time pregnant women receiving dental screenings at the Claremore Indian Hospital between September 1996 and June 2001. Following a 90-minute oral health education class on infant oral health the same questionnaire was re-administered. A comparison of pre- and post- data was made to determine whether there had been an increase in knowledge from baseline using McNemar's test for binary data. Results: 242 first-time pregnant women participated. The median age was 23 years. 81.7% were Native American. Following the educational program, significantly more women correctly identified the age at which infants' teeth form (86.9% vs. 38.7%, p<0.0001) and significantly more reported that they had heard of baby bottle tooth decay (94.5% vs. 69.8%, p<0.0001). There was a significant shift in attitudes regarding whether children can get baby bottle tooth decay from sleeping at the breast all night (98.2% vs. 45.7%, p<0.0001). Following the educational program, significantly more women expressed the opinion that water was better than other liquids at nap or bedtime (96.6% vs. 80.8%, p<0.0001). Conclusion: Educational programs can effectively increase knowledge and improve attitudes related to infant oral health.

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