Mouth assessment

The assessment begins with a dental-health questionnaire, including questions about toothache, hoarseness, dysphagia (difficulty swallowing), altered taste or a frequent sore throat, current and previous tobacco use and alcohol consumption and any sores, lesions or bleeding of the gums.

Diseases include mucocele, aphthous ulcer, angular stomatitis, carcinoma, cleft lip, leukoplakia, herpes simplex and chelitis.

[2] Teeth should be clean with no decay, white with shiny enamel and smooth surfaces and edges.

Abnormal findings include swelling, cyanosis, paleness, dryness, sponginess, bleeding or discoloration.

To check the oral mucosa, the patient's cheek is exposed with a tongue depressor and the tissues inspected with a penlight.

Visual inspection with a penlight shows a healthy palate as whitish in color, with a firm texture and irregular transverse rugae.

A healthy dorsal tongue is symmetrical, pink, moist, slightly rough from the papillae, possibly with a thin, whitish coating.

A penlight is used to inspect the back of the patient's throat, looking for pink, symmetrical and normal-size tonsils.

[3] Gingivitis is one of the most prevalent oral problems associated with pregnancy, occurring in 60–75 percent of pregnant women.