J M Burgette1,2,3,4, Z T Dahl4,5, R J Weyant4,6, D W McNeil4,7,8, B Foxman9, M L Marazita4,5,10,11. 1. Departments of Dental Public Health and Pediatric Dentistry, School of Dental Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA. 2. Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA. 3. Center for Oral Health Research in Appalachia, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA. 4. Center for Oral Health Research in Appalachia, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA. 5. Department of Oral and Craniofacial Sciences, Center for Craniofacial and Dental Genetics, School of Dental Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA. 6. Department of Dental Public Health, School of Dental Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA. 7. Department of Psychology, Eberly College of Arts & Sciences, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA. 8. Dental Practice and Rural Health, School of Dentistry, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA. 9. Center for Molecular and Clinical Epidemiology of Infectious Disease, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. 10. Department of Human Genetics, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA. 11. Clinical and Translational Science, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To examine whether information that mothers received from dentists in their social network was consistent with professional recommendations for the first dental visit at age 1 y. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional qualitative study on mothers in Pennsylvania and West Virginia from 2018 to 2020 to explore how their social networks influence their children's dental service utilization. In-person, semistructured interviews were conducted with 126 mothers of children ages 3 to 5 y. Qualitative data were transcribed, coded, and analyzed using NVivo 12. Two investigators analyzed data using grounded theory and the constant comparative method. RESULTS: Over half of mothers reported a professional relationship with a dentist as part of their social network on children's oral health. Mothers described the following themes: 1) mothers contacted dentists in their social network for child dental information and to schedule their child's first dental visit, 2) mothers described dentists' justifications for the timing of the first dental visit older than age 1 y, 3) mothers described the impact of the dentist declining to see her child, and 4) after the dentist declined to see her child, some mothers did not comply with the dentist's recommendation of delayed child dental visits because they were given alternative information that encouraged early dental visits. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate a need for dentists to reinforce mothers' dental-seeking behavior for young children and adhere to recommendations on the age 1 dental visit. KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER STATEMENT: Qualitative data on mothers' social networks show that dentists play a key role in access to early dental visits, particularly when dentists decline to see the mother's child for visits.
OBJECTIVES: To examine whether information that mothers received from dentists in their social network was consistent with professional recommendations for the first dental visit at age 1 y. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional qualitative study on mothers in Pennsylvania and West Virginia from 2018 to 2020 to explore how their social networks influence their children's dental service utilization. In-person, semistructured interviews were conducted with 126 mothers of children ages 3 to 5 y. Qualitative data were transcribed, coded, and analyzed using NVivo 12. Two investigators analyzed data using grounded theory and the constant comparative method. RESULTS: Over half of mothers reported a professional relationship with a dentist as part of their social network on children's oral health. Mothers described the following themes: 1) mothers contacted dentists in their social network for child dental information and to schedule their child's first dental visit, 2) mothers described dentists' justifications for the timing of the first dental visit older than age 1 y, 3) mothers described the impact of the dentist declining to see her child, and 4) after the dentist declined to see her child, some mothers did not comply with the dentist's recommendation of delayed child dental visits because they were given alternative information that encouraged early dental visits. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate a need for dentists to reinforce mothers' dental-seeking behavior for young children and adhere to recommendations on the age 1 dental visit. KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER STATEMENT: Qualitative data on mothers' social networks show that dentists play a key role in access to early dental visits, particularly when dentists decline to see the mother's child for visits.
Entities:
Keywords:
dental care for children; dentist-patient relations; help-seeking behavior; mothers; refusal to treat; social networking
Authors: Kevin C Lu; Zelda T Dahl; Robert J Weyant; Daniel W McNeil; Betsy Foxman; Mary L Marazita; Jacqueline M Burgette Journal: J Acad Nutr Diet Date: 2022-04-05 Impact factor: 5.234
Authors: Jacqueline M Burgette; Zelda T Dahl; Janice S Yi; Robert J Weyant; Daniel W McNeil; Betsy Foxman; Mary L Marazita Journal: JAMA Netw Open Date: 2022-04-01