Exploring schoolchildren's perspectives on oral health in a disadvantaged neighbourhood in The Hague - a participatory action research project.

Background and aim: Dental caries is the most common childhood disease worldwide, including the Netherlands. Children from low socioeconomic backgrounds and migrant communities are at high risk. This study aimed to explore the perspectives of schoolchildren (9-13 years), from a low socioeconomic neighbourhood in The Hague with a high immigrant population, on oral health, oral health behaviours, oral health professionals and dental care, as well as the root causes and the outcomes of oral health problems. A secondary aim was to co-create suitable oral health interventions with the children.

Methodology: The study used a Participatory Action Research (PAR) approach involving 9 focus group discussions (FGDs) with 45 children, semi-structured in-depth interviews with 4 children, 3 informal conversations with adult stakeholders (the school's principal, a teacher, and a women's group 'SW mothers' consisting of 24 women), participant observation in the neighbourhood, and food diaries from 7 children. The research team immersed themselves in the community for 8 months. The study comprised three phases with the children: 1) exploring children's perspectives on oral health, 2) identifying root causes and outcomes of oral health problems constructing a 'problem tree', and 3) co-creating solutions. In phase 4 data were analysed using thematic analysis, and findings were structured according to the Fisher-Owens model, highlighting child-level, family-level, and community-level influences on children's oral health.

Results: Children demonstrated oral health knowledge, understanding links between diet, oral health, and social status. They reported conflicting perspectives towards dental professionals, who were seen as kind, but also scary, leading to low dental care utilisation. Poverty in the neighbourhood contributed to 'parentification'. Children were often responsible for their own and their siblings' diet and oral health. Although health initiatives existed, cultural traditions and the local unhealthy food environment influenced dietary habits.

Conclusion: While children understood the importance of oral health, socioeconomic and cultural factors hindered their ability to act upon their knowledge. Poverty and the local food environment were identified as key challenges. This PAR project raised awareness, empowering children to drive positive change and share knowledge with their community through a self-made YouTube video and folder on toothbrushing, regular dental visits and healthy eating.