Children’s Oral Health and Barriers to Seeking Care: Perspectives of Caregivers Seeking Paediatric Hospital Dental Treatment

Abstract

Objectives: To investigate the demographics of children (and their caregivers) requiring hospital-based tertiary dental care, oral health services use and perceptions of and barriers to oral healthcare in Nova Scotia. Method: A questionnaire was administered to caregivers ( N = 62) on behalf of their child ( N = 62). Results: Nearly half (45.8%, N = 27) of the caregivers experienced difficulty seeking oral healthcare for both themselves and their children. Less than a quarter (23.2%, N = 13) of the caregivers sought care for their child by the recommended age of one (mean age of first visit = 2.69 years). Alternate delivery in a school, community or primary healthcare setting was preferred by 53.3% ( n = 32) of the caregivers for children's oral healthcare. Low-income families (53.8%, n = 28), rural areas (47.4%, n = 27) and Indigenous children (9.7%, n = 6) were over-represented in the study's sample. Conclusion: Socio-economically disadvantaged populations are more vulnerable to oral diseases. Oral health of priority populations in Nova Scotia appears to be inadequately addressed.

An educational intervention using the health belief model for improvement of oral health behavior in grade-schoolers: a randomized controlled trial

“…However, educational interventions in health care centers and oral health clinics should also be considered. Although the effectiveness of educational interventions in such settings to promote oral health has been examined in several studies [ 23 ], there is still a research gap regarding theory-based health education programs in the clinical setting.…”

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Dental Practitioners in Providing Care to Children in Out-of-Home Care: A Scoping Review

“…Recent research has found that the majority of children entering OOHC do not access or receive referral for health assessments as recommended [ 27 ]. It has also been found that foster and kinship carers experience various challenges in seeking oral health care for the children in their care [ 28 , 29 ]. There can be foster agency problems such as having dental treatment pre-approved, or poor communication between foster care agencies and carers [ 28 , 29 ].…”

“…It has also been found that foster and kinship carers experience various challenges in seeking oral health care for the children in their care [ 28 , 29 ]. There can be foster agency problems such as having dental treatment pre-approved, or poor communication between foster care agencies and carers [ 28 , 29 ]. Other systemic barriers include child transience, long waiting lists for the children to receive dental care due to reliance on the public health care system, and lack of dental professionals [ 28 , 29 ].…”

“…There can be foster agency problems such as having dental treatment pre-approved, or poor communication between foster care agencies and carers [ 28 , 29 ]. Other systemic barriers include child transience, long waiting lists for the children to receive dental care due to reliance on the public health care system, and lack of dental professionals [ 28 , 29 ]. There can also be personal barriers such as cost, inability for the carer to miss work, and a lack of co-operation of the child [ 28 , 29 ].…”

“…Other systemic barriers include child transience, long waiting lists for the children to receive dental care due to reliance on the public health care system, and lack of dental professionals [28,29]. There can also be personal barriers such as cost, inability for the carer to miss work, and a lack of co-operation of the child [28,29].…”