From Prenatal Intention to Postpartum Practice: A Prospective Cohort Study of Oral Health Preventive Behaviours in Mother–Child Pairs

Background/Objectives: Preventive intentions formed during pregnancy do not always translate into practice after birth. We assessed how far prenatal intentions for the child’s oral health were reflected in behaviours at 12 months, and which maternal factors were associated with them. Methods: In this prospective cohort, 218 women in the third trimester reported their knowledge and intentions for six preventive behaviours and underwent an oral examination (International Caries Detection and Assessment System, ICDAS; Plaque Control Record, PCR). At 12 months postpartum, mothers reported the behaviours adopted. Data were analysed with the exact McNemar test and multivariable logistic regression. Results: Complete data were available for 159 pairs. At 12 months, favourable behaviours were significantly less frequent than favourable intentions in all six domains (p < 0.05), with the largest intention–behaviour gaps for twice-daily toothbrushing (83.0% vs. 38.4%) and avoidance of added sugar (86.8% vs. 40.3%). Only 10.1% of children had seen a dentist by 12 months. Prenatal intention was independently associated with toothbrushing from the first tooth (aOR 3.18; 95% CI 1.16–8.69), twice-daily toothbrushing (aOR 2.51; 95% CI 1.02–6.17), fluoride toothpaste use (aOR 36.20; 95% CI 12.40–105.70) and avoidance of night-time bottles (aOR 6.29; 95% CI 3.08–12.82), but not with avoidance of added sugar; after correction for multiple comparisons, only the associations for fluoride toothpaste and night-time bottles remained significant. Exploratory analyses suggested that higher maternal PCR may be associated with lower odds of twice-daily toothbrushing and sugar avoidance. Conclusions: Prenatal intentions were only partly reflected in behaviours at 12 months; after correction for multiple comparisons, intention remained associated only with fluoride toothpaste use and avoidance of night-time bottles.