| Purpose: To characterize the use of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for the management of oral conditions among Chinese immigrants in the U.S. and to compare the utilization rate between parent-child pairs.;Methods: An interview was conducted among Chinese American parents in Houston and Boston with children under 12 years-old for both themselves and their children. Parents were patients who sought dental care in a private clinic in Houston or a community health center clinic in Boston. The questionnaire included age, gender, duration in the U.S., frequency of TCM agents usage, common TCM agents and oral conditions for TCM agents, as well as any associated adverse reaction.;Results: A total of 318 parents were interviewed. 145 (45.6%) parents and 65 (19.1%) children used TCM agents for management of oral conditions. For parents, only duration of residency in the U.S. differed significantly between those who did and did not use TCM (p=0.002). Those parents who used TCM had been in the U.S. for a shorter time (11.3 yrs vs. 14.2 yrs). For children, use of TCM differed significantly by age group ( p=0.003) and birth location (p=0.02). Older children and children not born in the U.S. were more likely to use TCM. Parents who used TCM were more likely to have a child who used TCM (p<0.0001). 33.1% of parents who used TCM had a child who did so, while only 8.09% of parents who did not use TCM had a child who did so. Giving a child TCM was also associated with parental gender, age, and language. Female parents, older parents, and parents speaking Chinese or both Chinese and English were more likely to have a child that used TCM. Most commonly used TCM agents include watermelon frost (37.4%), niuhuang jiedu pill (15.5%) and honey/propolis (9.9%). Mouth ulcer was the most common oral condition that was managed by TCM agents (64.2%).;Conclusion: TCM was widely used for oral conditions by the Chinese immigrants in the U.S. who were seeking dental care. Use of TCM in children was associated with both children and parental factors, among which parental TCM use and children's age and birth location showed the strongest association. |
