Minnesota has the largest population of Somali refugees with the majority depending on public insurance for dental care. The social determinants of health (SDOH) framework is helpful to identify factors that may be related to oral health, and subsequently plan for public health initiatives. The purpose of this study was to measure the correlation between Somali refugee mother-child caries experience, and to identify associations between SDOH factors and child caries. The study was conducted in day care facilities where oral screenings and surveys identified SDOH factors at the individual, provider, community and environmental levels. A positive correlation was found between mother-child caries experience. Factors associated with child caries (p ≤ 0.05) were found at all SDOH levels except the provider level though only individual level factors for mothers and children yielded the expected results. SDOH affecting child caries were limited to individual demographic, behavioral and attitudinal factors.
Keywords: Dental public health; Immigrant health; Maternal and child health; Refugee health; Social determinants of health.