Community Dental Health

cover art

Cover Date:
June 2009
Print ISSN:
0265 539X
Vol:
26
Issue:
2

Racial and ethnic differences in a regular source of dental care and the oral health, behaviors, beliefs and services of lowincome mothers

Objective In a racial/ethnically-diverse sample of low-income mothers of children aged 3-6, we determine: 1) whether a regular source of dental care (RSDC), self-rated oral health, beliefs and behaviors differ by racial/ethnic group; 2) estimate whether a RSDC is associated with oral health, beliefs and behaviors, and whether these associations differ by racial/ethnic group; and 3) examine these relationships for mothers’ dental utilization. Basic Research Design Cross-sectional survey. Participants From a population of 108,151 Medicaid children aged 3-6 in Washington state, U.S., 10,909 eligible children were sampled stratified by racial/ethnic group. Eligible mothers completed a mixed-mode survey in the following groups: Black (n=818), Hispanic (n=1,310), or White (n=1,382). Main Outcome Measures Measures were mothers’ RSDC, personal characteristics, self-rated dental health, appearance of teeth, dental problems, brushing duration, flossing frequency, use of toothpicks or whiteners, belief that cleaning prevents cavities or loose teeth, and self-reported services at last dental visit. Results About 38-40% of mothers had a RSDC. For Black, Hispanic and White mothers, having a RSDC was associated consistently with better oral health, greater likelihood of a dental cleaning and less likelihood of tooth extraction. RSDC was not associated generally with oral health beliefs and behaviors. Oral health behaviors differ by racial/ethnic group. Conclusions Relationships between RSDC and self-reported oral health, health behaviors, beliefs and dental services are similar for Black, Hispanic and White low-income mothers of young children. Oral health behaviors differ across racial/ethnic groups, which may have implications for mother and child oral health.

Key words: Access, dental care, dental insurance, disparity, Medicaid, mothers, oral health, oral hygiene, race and ethnicity

Article Price
£15.00
Institution Article Price
£
Page Start
69
Page End
76
Authors
D. Grembowski, C. Spiekerman, P. Milgrom

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  1. Editorial - NHS dental care and the issues of public service ethos, governance, accountability and probity
  2. 66
  3. 68

  1. Racial and ethnic differences in a regular source of dental care and the oral health, behaviors, beliefs and services of lowincome mothers
  2. 69
  3. 76

  1. Association of urgent dental care with subjective oral health indicators and psychosocial impact
  2. 77
  3. 83

  1. The use of conversation mapping to frame key perceptual issues facing the general dental practice system in England.
  2. 84
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  1. Deprivation and access to dental care in a socially diverse metropolitan area
  2. 92
  3. 98

  1. Seroepidemiology of hepatitis C antibodies among dentists and their self-reported use of infection control measures
  2. 99
  3. 103

  1. Relationships between patient characteristics and reasons for tooth extraction in Japan
  2. 104
  3. 109

  1. Differences in oral health behaviour between children from high and children from low SES schools in the Netherlands.
  2. 110
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  1. Caries prevalence in Suriname schoolchildren
  2. 116
  3. 120

  1. Early childhood caries and related risk factors in Mongolian children
  2. 121
  3. 128