Every day your patients rely on you for sound advice. Counseling for folic acid is very simple and takes only a few minutes.

Consider the following opportunities to share the message about folic acid with your patients:

• during regular dental checkup visits;
• during a review of the patient's health status;
• adding a folic acid brochure to the free sample bag (with brush and floss);
• putting up posters about folic acid in the office waiting area and in the examination room; and,
• sharing folic acid information with colleagues and office staff so that they can mention folic acid to your patients while they wait for you in the examination room or in the reception area.

A growing body of scientific literature suggests that your dental health may affect your overall health. You may have heard about a link between gum disease (periodontal disease), premature birth (before 37 weeks gestation) and low birthweight (less than 5.5 pounds). This information may prompt many women who are planning on getting pregnant to come to you for a dental checkup and cleaning [86]. This increases the chance for you to interact with a woman in her preconception stage, which is when the folic acid message becomes even more important.

If you find a woman is in a high-risk category for an NTD-affected pregnancy, refer her to her family physician.