Oral Care Experiences of Latino Parents/Caregivers with Children with Autism and with Typically Developing Children

Abstract

As a result of various barriers, several pediatric populations are at risk for poor oral health, including children with disabilities and children from under-represented populations, such as Latinos. To this end, this study aimed to better understand the factors that affect the oral health experiences of 32 Latino parents/caregivers from 18 families (n = 8 with a typically developing child and n = 10 with a child with Autism). Using a qualitative descriptive methodology, each family was interviewed twice. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and coded thematically to identify the individual, social, systemic, and culturally rooted factors contributing to oral health disparities in the families. The three themes that arose were “Why would I want to start trouble?”: Latino parents’ dissatisfaction with dental treatments, costs, and fear of the dentist and health care providers because of their ethnic minority status as key factors inhibiting receipt of dental care; “We have to put our children first”: prioritizing the oral care activities of their children over their own individual oral care needs; and “We always keep baking soda around”: familial and cultural influences on oral care habits. Understanding the oral health beliefs and experiences of Latino parents and caregivers of children with and without autism is critical for developing targeted prevention and intervention programs and reducing oral health disparities.

Dental Treatments under General Anesthesia on Children with Special Health Care Needs Enrolled in the Spanish Dental Care Program

“…Remarkably, CSHCN under 14 years of age are categorized as high risk (ADA) and as moderate over 14 years of age, while CAMBRA only considers children under five years of age with “developmental problems” as being high risk [ 5 ]. Although CSHCN have similar or superior preventive dental programs, others factor such as ethnicity, age, or socioeconomic status could influence the use of preventive dental services and programs [ 6 ].…”

Oral Health of Children with Autism: The Influence of Parental Attitudes and Willingness in Providing Care

“…Negative parental attitudes toward oral health were found to be associated with deterioration of their children's oral health [ 19 , 20 ]. As such, a parent's positive attitude towards the oral health of a child with ASD can be a strong predictor of a child's favourable oral health.…”

Differing interpretations of health care encounters: A qualitative study of non-Latinx health care providers’ perceptions of Latinx patient behaviors

“…For example, Latinxs cite experiencing health care discrimination from providers [ 8 , 9 ] and lack of access to helpful HCPs [ 10 ]. A sense of mistrust among Latinx patients for their providers [ 11 – 13 ] and provider bias toward their patients [ 14 , 15 ] are also reported throughout the literature. These racial and ethnic-related barriers have the potential to influence receipt of quality health care [ 11 , 16 ] as research suggests that Latinxs receive lower quality of care compared to non-Latinx white patients, as reported by patient self-report [ 17 ] and also consensus from a panel of experts on health disparities [ 18 ].…”