Abstract
BackgroundTooth decay has a significant impact on children, their families and wider society. The dental consultation provides an opportunity to prevent tooth decay by engaging in an effective oral health conversation with parents and children. However, there is limited literature which explores how these oral health conversations are delivered, received, and understood.AimTo explore the common facilitators of delivering oral health advice from dental teams, parents' and children's experiences, to identify and inform practical recommendations for clinical practice.MethodThe current paper used a qualitative supplementary analysis to reanalyse data of existing published studies by applying a different research question. Qualitative focus groups were undertaken following a semi-structured interview guide with 27 dental team members (dentists, dental nurses, practice managers and receptionists), 37 parents and 120 children (aged 7–10 years old) in the northern region of England. Thematic analysis informed the identification of themes and aggregation of findings.ResultsThree overarching themes were developed: (1) An engaging and personalised dental visit for parents and children; (2) Dental teams, parents and children working collaboratively to improve oral health habits; and (3) Recommending appropriate oral health products. Many parents and children had little recollection of any preventive oral health conversations when visiting the dentist. Practical solutions were identified by different stakeholders to facilitate three-way, personalised, non-judgemental and supportive oral health conversations. Adopting these innovative approaches will help to enable parents and their children to adopt and maintain appropriate oral health behaviours.ConclusionUnderstanding the context and triangulating the experiences of stakeholders involved in preventive oral health conversations for young children is an essential step in co-designing a complex oral health intervention. This study has provided recommendations for dental practices and wider paediatric health care services. Furthermore, the findings have informed the design of a complex oral health intervention called "Strong Teeth".
Highlights
Tooth decay has a significant impact on children, their families and wider society
Understanding the context and triangulating the experiences of stakeholders involved in preventive oral health conversations for young children is an essential step in co-designing a complex oral health intervention
This study has provided recommendations for dental practices and wider paediatric health care services
Summary
Tooth decay has a significant impact on children, their families and wider society. The dental consul‐ tation provides an opportunity to prevent tooth decay by engaging in an effective oral health conversation with parents and children. Tooth decay is preventable [8], with appropriate oral health behaviours established in the home-setting in early-childhood providing lifelong protective effects [9, 10]. These evidencebased oral health behaviours for young children include twice daily parental supervised toothbrushing with fluoride toothpaste and limiting sugary foods and drinks [11]. Parents and local communities identify their preference for establishing optimal oral health habits from the outset rather than correcting poor habits at a later stage [12] To facilitate these optimal oral health habits, preventive programmes need to be multi-faceted and provide consistent oral health messages across all professionals involved in early-years care [13]. One key opportunity to provide oral health advice and guidance is when parents bring their child to the dentist
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