A proposal for an oral health educational programme for the first 1000 days of life: from pregnancy to childhood.

AIM: The aim of this paper is to highlight the need to consider oral health during the first 1000 days of a child's life with a view to developing appropriate educational programmes. CONTEXT: The first 1000 days of life represent a window of opportunity for prevention in children. This concept is built on a consideration of the overall health of mother and child, taking into account social inequalities in health. It is now established that the oral health of the mother determines the oral health of her child. Furthermore, parents' knowledge and behaviour have a direct influence on their child's health. CONCLUSION: The majority of the population does not have the necessary skills to adopt behaviours that promote oral health. The need for oral health education begins in the first 1000 days of life. Following the model of family health education, these programmes would involve providing pregnant women and, therefore, families with the skills they need to manage their own oral health and that of their future child as early as possible.