Background and purpose: One of the best ways to evaluate the activity and efficiency of a health care system is to consider WHO advised indices. In oral health systems, one of the most important of these indices is DMFT index. The aim of this research was to assess the effects of education on the performance of pregnant women in city of Arak regarding oral health according to the DMFT index and plaque index. Materials and methods: This intervention study was carried out in 130 pregnant women attending health centers in Arak who were divided into case and control groups (n= 65 in each group). Before the intervention the data including the samples’ demographic features, DMFT Index and Plaque Index (PI) check lists and their performance about oral health was recorded. The intervention group attended educational programs and after three months the samples were examined for oral health. Results: The mean ages of samples in case and control groups were 27.1±3.5 and 29.8±4.3 years and the mean of DMFT score was 5.8±2.2 and 5.3±1.8, respectively. There was no significant difference in the mean of DMFT scores before and after the intervention among the two groups (p=0.115) but there was a significant decrease in PI scores (P=0.041). Moreover, the performance of case and control groups were different before and after the intervention (P<0.05). Conclusion: Educational programs are very effective in enhancing oral health among pregnant women. Furthermore, follow up programs on controlling and monitoring are beneficial.

Keywords: Oral health, pregnant women, DMFT, Plaque Index, education, performance

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