2018 Student Grant Award Recipient

“I HAVE TO USE KRAZY GLUE ON MY TEETH” WHEN RISK TAKING BECOMES NECESSARY: STORIES ABOUT ORAL HEALTH RELATED EXPERIENCES OF LATINO PARENTS WITH CHILDREN WITH AUTISM AND TYPICALLY DEVELOPING CHILDREN”

Lucía Floríndez, University of Southern California

Mentors:
Daniella Florindez, SOS Mentor
Dominique H. Como, University of Southern California
Sharon A. Cermak, University of Southern California

Statement of Purpose: Factors such as low income and minority status are associated with poor oral health. Research on oral care has shown that Latinos are less likely to believe in the need for regular professional dental care, more likely to have misperceptions about oral health, and less 29 likely to have access to dental care than the general population (Cortés et al., 2012). To date, minimal research has explored the oral health experiences of Latinos. This study examined oral health related attitudes, beliefs, practices, and decision making in Latino families with and without children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Description of Methods: As part of a larger qualitative study on in-home oral care, 18 Latino families with a child aged 6-12 (n=8 neurotypical, n=10 ASD) were interviewed twice for approximately 1-2.5 hours each session. This paper presents findings from a subcorpus of the data set that answers the question, “How do Latino cultural values influence families’ oral health beliefs and practices?” Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed by 3 coders using in vivo and thematic coding schemas to identify patterns throughout the data.

Report of Results: The themes Vulnerability/Mistrust, “We have to put our children first”, and Acculturation/Cultural Practices summed how the Latino families discussed oral care. The data also elucidate why Latino parents may make risky-yet-necessary oral health related decisions. Parents described fear of the dentist, due to their ethnic minority status, as a key factor inhibiting receipt of dental care. Parents also discussed prioritizing the dental needs of their children over their own oral care needs due to costs. Families also shared cultural influences on oral care habits that were learned from their varied upbringing. Additionally, the interplay between Latino cultural values, access to care, and oral health related decisions emerged as an important subtheme. Embedded among the themes, parents would describe actions they took that were both risky and unsafe (using Krazy Glue on teeth) yet necessary solutions to address the oral health disparities they faced.

Implications Related to Occupational Science: Latinos’ experiences of oral health related occupations are influenced by factors related to their cultural identities, family structures, and barriers to oral care. What’s more, oral health-related decisions that may be perceived as risky are instead necessary and even innovative ways for these families to address the disparities caused by inadequate dental care. In presenting this data, we aim to facilitate a discussion regarding the relationship of culture to oral care experiences and decision-making in the Latino population.

Keywords: Latinos, oral care, disparities

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