How Do Mothers Living in Socially Deprived Communities Perceive Oral Health of Young Children? A Qualitative Study

Amit Arora, Dimitri Lucas, Michael To, Ritesh Chimoriya, Sameer Bhole, Santosh Kumar Tadakamadla and James J. Crall
Additional contact information
Amit Arora: School of Health Sciences, Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW 2751, Australia
Dimitri Lucas: Sydney Dental School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Surry Hills, NSW 2010, Australia
Michael To: Sydney Dental School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Surry Hills, NSW 2010, Australia
Ritesh Chimoriya: School of Health Sciences, Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW 2751, Australia
Sameer Bhole: Oral Health Services, Sydney Local Health District and Sydney Dental Hospital, NSW Health, Surry Hills, NSW 2010, Australia
Santosh Kumar Tadakamadla: School of Dentistry and Oral Health, Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD 4222, Australia
James J. Crall: Division of Public Health and Community Dentistry, School of Dentistry, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 7, 1-18

Abstract: This qualitative study aims to explore and gain an in-depth understanding of the knowledge and perceptions of mothers living in Greater Western Sydney (GWS), one of Australia’s most socio-economically disadvantaged regions, regarding the factors that influence oral health of young children. Mother–child dyads ( n = 45) were purposively selected from a population-based cohort study in GWS. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and subsequently analyzed using thematic analysis. Five main themes emerged from the interviews: (1) beliefs about child oral health and first set of teeth; (2) awareness and attitudes towards oral health services; (3) identification of caries risk and protective factors; (4) broader cultural and social class influences on childhood oral health practices; and (5) the influence of parental self-confidence, self-efficacy, and perceived control. Overall, mothers reported having limited knowledge and awareness on the importance of baby teeth, child’s first dental visit, and seeking oral health care. Oral health and preventative practices in children were reported to be influenced by past dental experiences, culture and social class, and parental factors. The empirical findings of this study bring our attention to the critical factors that influence child oral health and the opportunities for co-creating child oral health promotion by targeting mothers.

Keywords: oral health; early childhood; qualitative study; prevention; social determinants (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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