Caregivers' understanding of fluoride varnish: implications for future clinical strategies and research on preventive care decision making

Abstract

Objective: To describe caregivers' understanding of fluoride varnish.

Methods: We administered the Oral Health Literacy Inventory for Parents within a pediatric dental clinic (N = 113). Caregivers were asked to read and define each item. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and coded inductively. The main analyses focused on responses to "fluoride varnish" and were conducted at the response level.

Results: Of the 140 responses, 22.1 percent of the responses indicated lack of knowledge about fluoride varnish, 23.6 percent that it was for teeth, 8.6 percent as something in toothpaste or water, and 45.7 percent as something that helps teeth. About 52.7 percent of responses indicated lack of knowledge, incomplete, or incorrect understanding. At the caregiver-level, 50.4 percent did not know what fluoride varnish was or provided an incorrect or incomplete response.

Conclusion: Many caregivers have an incomplete or inaccurate understanding of fluoride varnish, which has implications for how healthcare providers communicate about preventive care and future research on caregiver decision making.

Keywords: children; decision making; fluoride; fluoride refusal; fluoride varnish; health literacy; preventive behaviors; preventive care.