Faculty Collaboration Database

Self-reported oral health perceptions of Somali adults in Minnesota: a pilot study. Int J Dent Hyg 2008 May;6(2):114-8

Date

04/17/2008

Pubmed ID

18412723

DOI

10.1111/j.1601-5037.2008.00295.x

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-43649108760 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   14 Citations

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To assess self-reported oral health perceptions and associated factors in an adult Somali population living in Minnesota, USA.

METHODS: We analysed data from a cross-sectional study of Somali adults aged 18 to 65+ years attending a dental school clinic for care. A comprehensive oral examination was performed by the dental school outreach team on all patients who attended a 2-week designated Somali dental clinic. Adults who consented were given an oral health questionnaire to collect information on sociodemographics, marital status, language preference and self-rated oral and general health. We performed summary statistics and differences between proportions using Fisher's exact test and a comparison of means using one-way anova or a two-sample t-test.

RESULTS: The sample consisted of 53 adults, 75% of whom were females. About 49% of subjects reported poor/fair oral health and 38% reported poor/fair general health. Seventy-four percent rated their access to dental care as poor/fair and 83% reported that they did not have a regular source of dental care. Self-rated oral health was significantly associated with marital status (P < 0.05) and self-rated general health (P < 0.01) using Fisher's exact test.

CONCLUSION: A substantial proportion of Somali adults rated their oral health and access to dental care as poor/fair. These findings suggest that this population would benefit from improved access to oral health care and culturally appropriate oral health education and promotion programs.

Author List

Okunseri C, Hodges JS, Born DO

Author

Christopher Okunseri DDS,MS Associate Professor and Director in the Clinical Services department at Marquette University

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Communication Barriers
Cross-Sectional Studies
DMF Index
Dental Caries
Dental Health Services
Emigrants and Immigrants
Female
Health Services Accessibility
Humans
Male
Marital Status
Middle Aged
Minnesota
Oral Health
Pilot Projects
Self Concept
Self-Assessment
Somalia
Surveys and Questionnaires