|
1
|
Nazar H, Shyama M, Ariga J. Perceptions of Oral Health and Quality of Life among Parents in Kuwait. ORAL HEALTH & PREVENTIVE DENTISTRY 2023; 21:121-130. [PMID: 37093178 PMCID: PMC11619843 DOI: 10.3290/j.ohpd.b4043017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2022] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 04/25/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE To determine the self-perceived oral health and general health as well as the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) among parents in Kuwait. MATERIALS AND METHODS This cross-sectional study was conducted among parents visiting the School Oral Health Programme (SOHP) clinics in all the governorates in Kuwait. Being a parent and able to read and understand the Arabic language was the inclusion criterion. A convenience sample of parents (n = 2357) were enrolled in this study, which was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire in Arabic. The questionnaire included previously validated questions and also questions designed for this study. The parents completed and returned the questionnaire while waiting for their children in the waiting area of the SOHP clinic. RESULTS The mean age of the parents was 38.3 ± 7.3 years. The majority (75.2%) of the participants perceived their oral health 'excellent', 'very good' or 'good' and 76.4% also rated their general health as 'excellent', 'very good' or 'good'. Overall, higher levels of perceived oral health were reported more frequently by younger participants, females, Kuwaitis, and those who had higher levels of education (p < 0.001). Most of the participants (72.3%) were satisfied with their oral health, (91.0%) enjoyed eating their food and (79.0%) liked their smile. Perceived difficulty in chewing food was stated by only 21.0%, and very few (5.0%) had speech difficulties. Almost half (45.0%) mentioned that they had never had any dental and/or gum problems that affected their daily activities during the past 6 months, nor did such problems influence their social activities. Nearly two-thirds (61.0%) stated that they never had any difficulty in conversation, and half (49.0%) did not report any disturbance in their sleep. Cronbach's alpha (0.89) showed a high degree of internal consistency between different OHRQoL responses. CONCLUSION Most of the parents were satisfied with their oral health, which had an impact on their quality of life.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Huda Nazar
- Consultant Dental Public Health, Head Research and Survey Division, Dental Administration, Ministry of Health, Kuwait. Study design, planning, and conduction, supervision and administration, data collection, analysis and interpretation, wrote, revised, reviewed and edited the manuscript
| | - Maddi Shyama
- Research and Survey Division, Dental Administration, Ministry of Health, Kuwait. Data analysis and interpretation, wrote, revised, reviewed and edited the manuscript
| | - Jitendra Ariga
- Director, School Oral Health Programme, Kuwait-Forsyth, Kuwait. Revised, reviewed and edited the manuscript
| |
Collapse
|
|
2
|
Maida CA, Marcus M, Xiong D, Ortega-Verdugo P, Agredano E, Huang Y, Zhou L, Lee SY, Shen J, Hays RD, Crall JJ, Liu H. Investigating Perceptions of Teachers and School Nurses on Child and Adolescent Oral Health in Los Angeles County. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19084722. [PMID: 35457591 PMCID: PMC9032022 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19084722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2022] [Revised: 04/05/2022] [Accepted: 04/12/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
This study reports the results of focus groups with school nurses and teachers from elementary, middle, and high schools to explore their perceptions of child and adolescent oral health. Participants included 14 school nurses and 15 teachers (83% female; 31% Hispanic; 21% White; 21% Asian; 14% African American; and 13% Others). Respondents were recruited from Los Angeles County schools and scheduled by school level for six one-hour focus groups using Zoom. Audio recordings were transcribed, reviewed, and saved with anonymization of speaker identities. NVivo software (QSR International, Melbourne, Australia) was used to facilitate content analysis and identify key themes. The nurses’ rate of “Oral Health Education” comments statistically exceeded that of teachers, while teachers had higher rates for “Parental Involvement” and “Mutual Perception” comments. “Need for Care” was perceived to be more prevalent in immigrants to the United States based on student behaviors and complaints. “Access to Care” was seen as primarily the nurses’ responsibilities. Strong relationships between community clinics and schools were viewed by some as integral to students achieving good oral health. The results suggest dimensions and questions important to item development for oral health surveys of children and parents to address screening, management, program assessment, and policy planning.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Carl A. Maida
- Division of Oral and Systemic Health Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; (C.A.M.); (M.M.); (D.X.); (E.A.); (Y.H.); (L.Z.); (J.S.); (J.J.C.)
| | - Marvin Marcus
- Division of Oral and Systemic Health Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; (C.A.M.); (M.M.); (D.X.); (E.A.); (Y.H.); (L.Z.); (J.S.); (J.J.C.)
| | - Di Xiong
- Division of Oral and Systemic Health Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; (C.A.M.); (M.M.); (D.X.); (E.A.); (Y.H.); (L.Z.); (J.S.); (J.J.C.)
- Department of Biostatistics, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Paula Ortega-Verdugo
- Division of Preventative and Restorative Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; (P.O.-V.); (S.Y.L.)
| | - Elizabeth Agredano
- Division of Oral and Systemic Health Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; (C.A.M.); (M.M.); (D.X.); (E.A.); (Y.H.); (L.Z.); (J.S.); (J.J.C.)
| | - Yilan Huang
- Division of Oral and Systemic Health Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; (C.A.M.); (M.M.); (D.X.); (E.A.); (Y.H.); (L.Z.); (J.S.); (J.J.C.)
- Department of Biostatistics, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Linyu Zhou
- Division of Oral and Systemic Health Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; (C.A.M.); (M.M.); (D.X.); (E.A.); (Y.H.); (L.Z.); (J.S.); (J.J.C.)
- Department of Biostatistics, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Steve Y. Lee
- Division of Preventative and Restorative Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; (P.O.-V.); (S.Y.L.)
| | - Jie Shen
- Division of Oral and Systemic Health Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; (C.A.M.); (M.M.); (D.X.); (E.A.); (Y.H.); (L.Z.); (J.S.); (J.J.C.)
| | - Ron D. Hays
- Division of General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA;
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA 90407, USA
| | - James J. Crall
- Division of Oral and Systemic Health Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; (C.A.M.); (M.M.); (D.X.); (E.A.); (Y.H.); (L.Z.); (J.S.); (J.J.C.)
| | - Honghu Liu
- Division of Oral and Systemic Health Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; (C.A.M.); (M.M.); (D.X.); (E.A.); (Y.H.); (L.Z.); (J.S.); (J.J.C.)
- Department of Biostatistics, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Division of General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA;
- Correspondence:
| |
Collapse
|