248902 Breaking down the barriers: Increasing access to preventative oral health care for underinsured Latino children

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Vanessa Mercado, MPH , Department of Health Education, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA
Edmund Young, MPH , Department of Health Education, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA
Elnaz Eilkhani, MPH , Department of Health Education, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA
Dionandre King, MPH Candidate , Department of Health Education, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA
Although preventable, dental disease is the most common chronic infectious disease among children, with Latino children suffering disproportionately. Caregivers serve as gatekeepers to their child's oral health; however, they are faced with numerous barriers in accessing oral health services. A community health assessment in Alameda County, California assessed the barriers and opportunities to accessing preventative oral health care for underinsured Latino families with children aged five and younger. Qualitative data was collected from two focus groups, one with ten Latino caregivers, and one with seventeen pediatric oral health providers, and interviews with two pediatric oral health providers. Caregiver focus groups were conducted in Spanish. Participants identified key barriers and challenges: 1) caregivers viewing pediatricians as their primary source of oral health knowledge 2) gaps in caregiver oral health knowledge 3) lack of pediatric dentists 4) financial and/or insurance coverage 5) language barriers 6) negative attitudes and behavior of dental office staff and 7) social and cultural practices. Recommendations to overcome these barriers and challenges include: establishing a partnership between medical and dental providers, educational tools to improve overall oral health knowledge, policies that increase oral health services in communities of need, increasing access to dental insurance and feasible financing options to caregivers, and developing employee training programs to educate dental office staff to be more culturally competent.

Learning Areas:
Assessment of individual and community needs for health education
Other professions or practice related to public health

Learning Objectives:
1. Describe the extent and severity of oral health needs of underinsured Latino children in California. 2. Explain barriers to access to oral health care from the perspective of caregivers and oral health/pediatric professionals. 3. Discuss potential solutions that will increase access to and knowledge about oral health.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am qualified to present because my co-authors and I conducted this community health assessment as part of our team practice experience for the Masters in Public Health program with the guidance of San Francisco State University faculty and in partnership with staff from Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.