Acculturation plays a role in the amount and quality of dental care Hispanic children in the United States receive, according to a study from the University of California at San Francisco School of Dentistry.
Socioeconomic status also had an impact on the level of dental care received, the study revealed. Both factors showed a need for culturally-sensitive dental programs to ensure that dental professionals relate to the parents and children and their understanding of dental care.
The study, according to an article on Latino website voxxi.com, began when its author, dentist and professor Maria Orellana, noticed Latino parents seemed resistant, compared to other demographic groups, when getting braces, retainers or other oral care.
Orellana, an assistant professor in the UCSF School of Dentistry, conducted a survey of 63 Latinos between the ages of 8 and 17 and their parents. The questionnaire was made to help assess views on dental health, income and language barriers.
Once the information was compiled, Orellana compared the responses of children to the responses of parents, running the statistical numbers through the university’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute.
“I’m trying to understand what is preventing Latinos from getting the dental and orthodontic care other people are getting. Is it mainly economical or something else?” Orellana said in the article.
The researchers found that the more acculturated children and their parents were, the more importance they placed on preventative dental care. The reason for a lack of interest in oral health was linked to a lower level of acculturation, according to the article.
Because many parents and older generation Latinos might not be as acculturated, Spanish-speaking dentists able to communicating the importance of oral health help toward better dental care in the U.S. Hispanic community, according to the article.
Because many parents and older generation Latinos might not be as acculturated, having Spanish-speaking providers capable of communicating about the importance of oral health is key to better dental care in the U.S. Hispanic community, said Arrelano.
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