IADR Abstract Archives
A community assessment of oral health knowledge, beliefs and behaviors of Lower Sioux youth in Minnesota: A Qualitative Study.
Objectives: To examine the existing oral health knowledge, beliefs and practices of a select group of youth of Lower Sioux in Morton, Minnesota.
Methods: The study was conducted during the 2017 Summer Youth Program in the Lower Sioux Reservation with permission from the Tribal Council. A total of 23 middle school students with consent from parents, participated in the Explore Dentistry workshop and in focus groups where they responded to open-ended, semi- structured questions. Responses were audio recorded, and transcribed verbatim. Two researchers reviewed the responses, and categorized the responses based on common themes. This study received IRB exempt review.
Results: Overall, 100 percent of the participants had seen a dentist in the past six – 12 months and had received some form of dental care service, including emergency, preventive and restorative care, during that time. Dental services were obtained from providers outside of the reservation within 15-45 minutes of travel time. Their fathers or mothers brought them to their dental visits. Students reported that they all attended a health course in school where they learned most of what they know about care of their teeth. Students also point to the recently opened dental clinic in the reservation as their new dental home. A combination of parental involvement, mandatory healthcare class in the school curriculum, and tribal dental insurance seems to be contributing factors to the high-level of oral health knowledge and established oral hygiene practices in this select youth group.
Conclusions: All the youth in the study have generally high-level oral health knowledge, and perceptions of good oral health. Factors that have been identified in this study sample as being associated with good oral health behaviors is very unlike to those found in other AI/AN populations and in existing literature.
Methods: The study was conducted during the 2017 Summer Youth Program in the Lower Sioux Reservation with permission from the Tribal Council. A total of 23 middle school students with consent from parents, participated in the Explore Dentistry workshop and in focus groups where they responded to open-ended, semi- structured questions. Responses were audio recorded, and transcribed verbatim. Two researchers reviewed the responses, and categorized the responses based on common themes. This study received IRB exempt review.
Results: Overall, 100 percent of the participants had seen a dentist in the past six – 12 months and had received some form of dental care service, including emergency, preventive and restorative care, during that time. Dental services were obtained from providers outside of the reservation within 15-45 minutes of travel time. Their fathers or mothers brought them to their dental visits. Students reported that they all attended a health course in school where they learned most of what they know about care of their teeth. Students also point to the recently opened dental clinic in the reservation as their new dental home. A combination of parental involvement, mandatory healthcare class in the school curriculum, and tribal dental insurance seems to be contributing factors to the high-level of oral health knowledge and established oral hygiene practices in this select youth group.
Conclusions: All the youth in the study have generally high-level oral health knowledge, and perceptions of good oral health. Factors that have been identified in this study sample as being associated with good oral health behaviors is very unlike to those found in other AI/AN populations and in existing literature.
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