A Qualitative Evaluation of an Oral Health Education Session as Part of a HIV Prevention Program for Adult Hispanic Migrant Workers in South Florida

Objective: This qualitative study based on focus group discussions explores oral health knowledge, attitudes, and susceptibility towards dental diseases, and their link to overall health among a group of adult Hispanic migrant workers (HMWs) in South Florida after attending an oral health education session.

Methods: The Hispanic Migrant Workers HIV prevention program included oral health education as part of the curriculum. Fifty-two adult HMWs were trained at the Farmworker Association of Florida. Data for this study were collected from 9 focus groups. Participants received oral health education via oral presentations, a written manual, PowerPoint presentations, and a website both in Spanish and English.

Results: Participants benefited most from the oral presentations since many HMWs do not have many years of formal education and some of them are not literate. They reported a significant lack of awareness and understanding of the strong link between systemic diseases and oral health. They also mentioned that seeking oral health care was driven by the manifestation of painful oral problems, discomfort, and uncontrolled infections, but that in many cases they try to avoid a visit to the dentist because of the lack of dental care coverage.

Conclusions: This qualitative evaluation revealed that the training session approach was perceived by participants as appropriate in assisting them to raise awareness about oral health issues and improving oral health knowledge and behaviors. They expressed encouraging views about the program and how it was delivered. This approach was highly acceptable and valued by this community.