Association of Migration Status of Parents With Their Satisfaction With Oral Care Provision for Their Children in Australia—Insights From a National Study

Abstract

Background

Globally, the number of migrants with limited language proficiency and low health literacy has been steadily increasing. In Australia, while most state governments have recognised these individuals as a priority population and provide free or subsidised access to oral healthcare services, their satisfaction levels regarding the received dental care remain uncertain. Studies suggest that patients with communication barriers often report greater dissatisfaction and anxiety in healthcare settings, with cultural insensitivity further worsening their experience. Therefore, feedback on oral healthcare services is crucial for improving service delivery and care quality.

Objective and Methods

This study aims to compare and assess the satisfaction of migrant and Australian-born parents with the oral healthcare received by their children in Australia. Data from the 2012–2014 National Child Oral Health Survey (NCOHS) was utilised, which involved a cross-sectional survey of 24,664 representative school children aged 5–14 years and their parents in Australia. This study used the Child Oral Care Performance Assessment Scale (COPAS), which was originally developed to collect parental observation and assessment of dental care received by their child. In the present study, the COPAS was used as a proxy measure for gauging the parents' satisfaction. Data were analysed using the complex samples' general linear model regression analyses to confirm the association between the factors.

Results

In general, the satisfaction scores were significantly lower in migrants than non-migrant parents regarding the oral healthcare provided to their children in efficient, responsive, accessible and capable domains of COPAS. The overall satisfaction score, across all domains, revealed that migrant parents had lower satisfaction levels than non-migrants (B = −1.64; 95% CI, −3.11 to −0.17). Parental language and income were also linked to satisfaction levels, with migrant parents from countries where English is not the primary language having notably lower scores than migrant parents from countries where English is the primary language (B = −4.16; 95% CI, −5.98 to −2.34). Among the other factors studied, parents in lower-income (B = −7.55; 95% CI, −9.14 to −5.95) and middle-income (B = −4.31; 95% CI, −5.45 to −3.17) groups were less satisfied with oral healthcare compared to higher-income parents. Single-adult households also reported lower satisfaction (B = −5.01; 95% CI, −9.67 to −0.35). On the other hand, having fewer children was associated with higher parental satisfaction.

Conclusions

Notable differences in satisfaction levels with oral healthcare of their children were observed between migrant and non-migrant parents. These findings help guide policymakers in developing public health measures to improve satisfaction among migrant parents.