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Learning from caries‐free children in a high‐caries A merican I ndian population
Author(s) -
Albino Judith,
Tiwari Tamanna,
Henderson William G.,
Thomas Jacob,
Bryant Lucinda L.,
Batliner Terrence S.,
Braun Patricia A.,
Wilson Anne,
Quissell David O.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of public health dentistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.64
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1752-7325
pISSN - 0022-4006
DOI - 10.1111/jphd.12058
Subject(s) - early childhood caries , medicine , psychological intervention , locus of control , distress , population , randomized controlled trial , oral health , clinical psychology , family medicine , environmental health , psychology , developmental psychology , psychiatry , surgery
Objective We aimed to identify salutogenic patterns of parental knowledge, behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs that may support resistance to early childhood caries ( ECC ) among a high caries population of preschool A merican I ndian ( AI ) children. Method Participants were 981 child–parent dyads living on a S outhwestern reservation who completed baseline assessments for an ongoing randomized clinical trial. T ‐tests were used to assess differences between reported knowledge, behaviors, and beliefs of parents whose children were caries‐free (10.7 percent) and those whose children had caries (89.3 percent). Chi‐square analyses were used for categorical variables. Results Although there were no socio‐demographic differences, parents of caries‐free children viewed oral health as more important and reported more oral health knowledge and adherence to caries‐preventing behaviors for their children. Parents of caries‐free children were more likely to have higher internal locus of control, to perceive their children as less susceptible to caries, and to perceive fewer barriers to prevention. These parents also had higher sense of coherence scores and reported lower levels of personal distress and community‐related stress. Conclusions Effective interventions for ECC prevention in high‐caries AI populations may benefit from approaches that support and model naturally salutogenic behaviors.