"The pediatric dentist is different": A qualitative study of young children's caregivers' experiences of oral health care in the Galapagos Islands.

Abstract

Little is known about factors influencing children's access to and use of oral healthcare services in the Galapagos Islands, a resource-limited setting. We sought to understand caregivers' experiences and factors influencing their children's use of dental services on San Cristobal Island in the Galapagos Archipelago. A community-based qualitative interview study was carried out among 25 caregivers of children aged 6months to 10 years. Participants were recruited via a random walk door-to-door approach in 10 neighborhoods, and interviews were conducted by a trained research assistant who is native of the Galapagos Islands. We employed a grounded theory-based qualitative data analysis based on inductive coding to identify and report major emerging themes and illustrative participant quotes. Two major themes emerged related to children's oral health care. Participants expressed their preference for care provided by paediatric versus general dentists and recognized the important role of school-based dental care programs, acknowledging their strengths and weaknesses. Participants' lived experiences were informative and helped improve our understanding of factors influencing children's use of dental services in the Galapagos Islands. Above and beyond their local relevance, these themes and insights are likely applicable to other global communities that experience similar barriers of access to oral healthcare services.