BARRIERS TO ORAL HEALTH CARE FOR CHILDREN: A QUALITATIVE STUDY

Abstract

Despite overall improvements in oral health, a large number of children in the world are affected by dental caries; and the implementation of oral health promotion in some families remains a challenge. The aim of this study was to explore the perception of mothers regarding barriers of dental care for children.

Methods: The present study was a part of a multi-level qualitative research with a content analysis approach which was conducted in Tehran, Iran in 2015. Qualitative data were collected via 12 focus group discussions and semi- structured interviews for understanding the perception of school childrens mothers on the barriers of oral health care. Sampling was goal-based, and continued until data saturation was reached. The study population consisted of a representative sample of Iranian women (n=58) of diverse ages selected from different districts of the capital Tehran, who had a first grade primary school child. All mothers agreed to attend the study and answered all the questions. Data were analyzed using the conventional content analysis method in MAXQDA 10. The study was granted ethical approval by the Ethics Committee of Tehran University of Medical Sciences.

Results: Based on the findings of the study three key themes of oral health barriers, each with a number of sub- themes, were identified and categorised as: (1) Barriers at the organization level, (2) Barriers at the patient-provider relationship level, and (3) Barriers at the family level (children and parents). Informants reported cost, inconvenience, fear, and low access to dental services as the main barriers to providing oral health care for their children. Fear of dental procedures and cost of treatment, were the most reported barriers.

Conclusions: Understanding the barriers to oral health promotion is needed for improving oral health of children. This study highlighted the need for efforts focused on reducing parents and childrens fear of dentistry and avoiding giving child oral health care a low priority, due to the cost of dental care.