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Role of Acculturation, Social Capital and Oral Health Literacy on Access to Dental Care among Preschool Children of Arabic-Speaking Immigrants in Toronto, Canada

Posted on:2012-02-28Degree:M.ScType:Thesis
University:University of Toronto (Canada)Candidate:Al-Rudainy, OrasFull Text:PDF
GTID:2464390011468933Subject:Health Sciences
Abstract/Summary:
Objectives: To determine access to dental care among preschool children of Arabic-speaking immigrant families; to investigate the influence of social and cultural factors on access to dental care; and to measure preschool children's oral health as reported by their parents. Methods: This survey used a semi-structured questionnaire to interview 100 Arabic-speaking parents of children under the age of 5 who were identified from community centres. Five scales were used to measure acculturation, social capital, oral health literacy, oral health knowledge, and health literacy. Results: Only 34% of families had visited the dentist to obtain dental care for their preschool children. Nineteen-percent of Arabic parents in our sample rated their children's oral health as being fair or poor. None of the scales used in this study had a significant impact on access to dental care; however, higher scores on these scales tended to be associated with better access to dental care.
Keywords/Search Tags:Dental care, Access, Oral health, Arabic-speaking, Social capital
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