Family Health Nurses' Experiences on Oral Health of Pre-school Children

Objectives: The objective of this study was to explore how dental disease in young children impacts the working lives of Child and Family Health Nurses. Methods: Child and Family Health Nurses (n=21) who recruited new mothers to an ongoing birth cohort study that began in 2010 in South West Sydney, Australia were invited to take part in a qualitative study. An in-depth understanding of their experiences on preschool child oral health was recorded using a semi-structured interview. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using a thematic analysis. Results: The Child and Family Health Nurses felt that dental caries was a significant health issue for young children and their families. They felt that the burden of dental disease in pre-school children was underestimated in disadvantaged and multi-cultural populations. In addition, they reported that parents were often were unaware of the disease process and were ignorant on the relationship between bottle-feeding and dental caries. Once the parents were informed about their child's poor oral health, they had feelings of anger, despair and guilt. Conclusions: This study highlights that the oral health needs of preschool children in disadvantaged areas of Sydney are not being addressed effectively and the nurses are well aware of the impact of dental disease on families with young children. The primary health care team should work collaboratively to identify ‘at-risk' families and educate them in a culturally appropriate way. Acknowledgements: We would like to thank Dr Maria Florencia Amigo, Professor Anthony Blinkhorn, Professor Eli Schwarz, Associate Professor Sameer Bhole, Associate Professor Jane Scott and Dr Loc Do for their valuable comments. This study was funded by Centre for Oral Health Strategy, NSW Health.