{"title":"Parental perceptions of an oral health promotion program in early childhood education and care settings: A qualitative study","authors":"Lauren Suzanne Heller BA, MPH, Rashmi Pithavadian BA, MRes, Sowbhagya Micheal BSc, MA, MPH, PhD, Navira Chandio BDS, MSc, MEpi, Prathyusha Sanagavarapu MSc, MPhil, PhD, Jinal Parmar MPharm, MPH, MBA, Susan Cartwright BDS, Dip Clin Dent, MEd (Hons), Linda Slack-Smith BSc, GradDip (Med Tech), MSc, PhD, Amit Arora BDS, MDSc (Hons), PhD","doi":"10.1111/jphd.12641","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div>\n \n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Objectives</h3>\n \n <p>Early Childhood Caries is a global health problem. The Bright Smiles Bright Futures (BSBF) program seeks to equip educators, children, and parents with skills and knowledge about oral health promotion habits early in life. The aim of this study was to examine parental perceptions of the BSBF program and identify key facilitators and barriers for its implementation.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Methods</h3>\n \n <p>Twelve mothers of children who participated in the BSBF program in five Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) settings in NSW, Australia were recruited in this qualitative study. Data were collected via focus groups and interviews, transcribed verbatim and coded to categorize for inductive thematic analysis.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Results</h3>\n \n <p>Five major themes emerged: Promoters of the BSBF oral health program, barriers to the BSBF oral health program implementation and participation, online resources, impact of the BSBF oral health program, and strategies for enhancing the BSBF oral health program. While participants reported that the program encouraged their children's toothbrushing, they found issues with the program's materials, ECEC center attendance, and communication about the oral health program with their children. The program improved message retention, attitudes, routines, and family perceptions toward oral health. Participants recommended oral health literacy, changed delivery formats, increased dental access, and inclusion of interactive elements to enhance the program.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Conclusions</h3>\n \n <p>The findings from this study provide insight to improve parents' experiences and engagement in oral health promotion. This can help to raise awareness of the importance of child oral health among policymakers, healthcare professionals, and the public to inform public health policy discussions.</p>\n </section>\n </div>","PeriodicalId":16913,"journal":{"name":"Journal of public health dentistry","volume":"84 4","pages":"407-419"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8000,"publicationDate":"2024-08-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11619535/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of public health dentistry","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jphd.12641","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"DENTISTRY, ORAL SURGERY & MEDICINE","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Objectives
Early Childhood Caries is a global health problem. The Bright Smiles Bright Futures (BSBF) program seeks to equip educators, children, and parents with skills and knowledge about oral health promotion habits early in life. The aim of this study was to examine parental perceptions of the BSBF program and identify key facilitators and barriers for its implementation.
Methods
Twelve mothers of children who participated in the BSBF program in five Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) settings in NSW, Australia were recruited in this qualitative study. Data were collected via focus groups and interviews, transcribed verbatim and coded to categorize for inductive thematic analysis.
Results
Five major themes emerged: Promoters of the BSBF oral health program, barriers to the BSBF oral health program implementation and participation, online resources, impact of the BSBF oral health program, and strategies for enhancing the BSBF oral health program. While participants reported that the program encouraged their children's toothbrushing, they found issues with the program's materials, ECEC center attendance, and communication about the oral health program with their children. The program improved message retention, attitudes, routines, and family perceptions toward oral health. Participants recommended oral health literacy, changed delivery formats, increased dental access, and inclusion of interactive elements to enhance the program.
Conclusions
The findings from this study provide insight to improve parents' experiences and engagement in oral health promotion. This can help to raise awareness of the importance of child oral health among policymakers, healthcare professionals, and the public to inform public health policy discussions.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Public Health Dentistry is devoted to the advancement of public health dentistry through the exploration of related research, practice, and policy developments. Three main types of articles are published: original research articles that provide a significant contribution to knowledge in the breadth of dental public health, including oral epidemiology, dental health services, the behavioral sciences, and the public health practice areas of assessment, policy development, and assurance; methods articles that report the development and testing of new approaches to research design, data collection and analysis, or the delivery of public health services; and review articles that synthesize previous research in the discipline and provide guidance to others conducting research as well as to policy makers, managers, and other dental public health practitioners.