Community Dental Health

cover art

Cover Date:
June 2018
Print ISSN:
0265 539X
Electronic ISSN:
2515-1746
Vol:
35
Issue:
2

Child, caregiver, and family factors associated with child dental utilization among Mexican migrant families in California

doi:10.1922/CDH_4201Finlayson06

Objective: To identify associations between child, caregiver, and family-level factors and child dental utilization. Research design: Crosssectional oral health survey. Participants: Caregivers and one study child (ages 0-17) from Mexican migrant families in northern San Diego county, CA (n=142). Methods: Caregivers reported on child’s dental care utilization history and related factors, including: child (age, gender, dental insurance, source of care, believed to have cavities), caregiver (marital status, income, education, acculturation level, depressive symptoms), and family cohesion. Descriptive and logistic regression models identified predisposing, enabling, and need factors associated with child dental utilization during the past year. Results: Most (76%) children had visited the dentist in the past year, while 8.6% had never been. Child factors (gender, insurance), caregiver factors (education, depressive symptoms), and family cohesion were each associated with child dental utilization in the bivariate analyses. In the final adjusted model, uninsured children were less likely to have a past year dental visit compared to insured children (Odds Ratio (OR) = 0.23, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) = 0.06-0.96). Children whose caregivers visited the dentist were 4.29 times more likely to visit the dentist in the past year (CI=1.36-13.61). Higher caregiver education was positively associated with child dental utilization (OR=4.50, CI=1.50-13.55). Conclusion: Child age and dental insurance, and caregiver education and dental utilization history were associated with whether or not a child had a past year dental visit. Ensuring child dental coverage and caregiver access to dental care may promote regular dental utilization by children.

Key words: Child oral health, dental insurance, dental utilization

Article Price
£15.00
Institution Article Price
£
Page Start
89
Page End
94
Authors
Tracy L. Finlayson, Padideh Asgari, Erin Dougherty, Bekana K. Tadese, Nannette Stamm, Arcela Nunez-Alvarez

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