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Revista Portuguesa de Estomatologia,
Medicina Dentária e Cirurgia Maxilofacial
Portuguese Journal of Stomatology, Dental Medicine and Maxillofacial Surgery

rev port estomatol med dent cir maxilofac. 2026;67(1):2-10

Original Research

Pregnant and postpartum women’s perceptions
and use of Portugal’s dental voucher during

pregnancy: preliminary results

Leonor Frey-Furtado 1,2,3, * , Paulo Melo 1,2,3 , Maria Lurdes Pereira 1,2,3

1 Faculdade de Medicina Dentária da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
2 EPIUnit of Instituto de Saúde Pública da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
3 Laboratory for Integrative and Translational Research in Population Health (ITR) of Instituto de Saúde Pública da Universidade do Porto,
Porto, Portugal

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t
Article history: Objectives: To assess pregnant women’s perceptions of oral health, their knowledge and
Received 3 September 2025 use of the Dental Voucher program in Portugal, and the factors underlying its utilization.
Accepted 4 January 2026 Methods: The cross-sectional pilot study was conducted from October 2024 to September
Available online 11 March 2026 2025 in 11 health local units in Portugal. A 31-item mandatory online questionnaire was
applied, covering (i) demographics and socioeconomic status, (ii) oral hygiene practices and
Keywords: dental attendance patterns, (iii) perceived importance of oral health, and (iv) awareness and
Dental care use of the dental vouchers. Descriptive analyses were performed. Furthermore, dental
Dental Health Surveys voucher data were extracted from the Portuguese National Health Service Transparency
Oral health Portal and Statistics Portugal (INE).
Pregnant women Results: Participants were predominantly urban (71%), highly educated (81.5% with a higher
education degree), and employed (81.6%). While 89.5% recognized the link between oral and
general health, 23.7% were unaware of the impact of oral health on pregnancy outcomes.
Despite 81.6% reporting awareness of the Dental Voucher program, only 39.5% used a vouch-
er; among users, 23.7% considered the benefit inadequate. National data show that utiliza-
tion rates of maternal dental vouchers plateaued at 70–85%, while population coverage re-
mained below 50%.
Conclusions: This pilot study highlights gaps in voucher utilization, even among well-in-
formed, educated women. Despite progress in raising awareness and expanding access, the
Dental Voucher program remains underutilized. Strengthening oral health literacy, expand-
ing access, modernizing digital systems, and improving program promotion are essential to
maximize uptake and reduce preventable oral disease among pregnant women in Portugal.
(Rev Port Estomatol Med Dent Cir Maxilofac. 2026;67(1):2-10)
© 2026 Sociedade Portuguesa de Estomatologia e Medicina Dentária.
Published by SPEMD. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

* Corresponding author.
E-mail address: lfurtado@fmd.up.pt (Leonor Frey Furtado).
http://doi.org/10.24873/j.rpemd.2026.03.1564
1646-2890/© 2026 Sociedade Portuguesa de Estomatologia e Medicina Dentária. Published by SPEMD.
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).