Acculturation and Pediatric Minority Oral Health Interventions

Tamanna Tiwari; Judith Albino

doi:10.1016/j.cden.2017.02.006

Acculturation and Pediatric Minority Oral Health Interventions

Dent Clin North Am. 2017 Jul;61(3):549-563. doi: 10.1016/j.cden.2017.02.006. Epub 2017 May 4.

Authors

Tamanna Tiwari¹, Judith Albino²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Applied Dentistry, School of Dental Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, 13065 East 17th Avenue, Room 104T, Aurora, CO 80045, USA. Electronic address: tamanna.tiwari@ucdenver.edu.
² Center for Native Oral Health Research, Colorado, Colorado School of Public Health University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Building 500, 3rd Floor, Suite 3000, Aurora, CO 80045, USA.

Abstract

Immigrant populations are growing at a fast pace in the United States. Cultural variations can have implications on oral health of children from immigrant households. Length of stay in the United States and language spoken at home, proxies for measuring acculturation, are some of the crucial factors determining the level of acculturation in families. Higher acculturation generally has a positive impact on oral health utilization. Improving cultural competency of dental teams and involving the stakeholders in intervention design and implementation are some strategies that may increase the trust of ethnic minority patients and reduce barriers to access to care.

Keywords: Access to care; Acculturation; Cultural beliefs; Dental care utilization; Immigrant communities; Oral health behaviors.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Acculturation*
Child
Dental Care for Children / statistics & numerical data*
Emigrants and Immigrants*
Health Behavior*
Health Services Accessibility*
Humans
Oral Health*
Racial Groups*

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding