Barriers to the use of dental services by individuals from minority ethnic communities living in the United Kingdom: findings from focus groups.
OBJECTIVE
To describe the barriers identified by individuals from minority ethnic communities resident in the United Kingdom to their use of dental services.


METHODS
Focus group discussions were held with individuals from minority ethnic groups. Data were analysed using the technique of content analysis on the basis of categories defined by the researchers.


RESULTS
Barriers to regular attendance identified by participants included: language, a mistrust of dentists, cost, anxiety, cultural misunderstandings, concern about standards of hygiene. The type of barrier identified differed between ethnic groups, though mistrust of dentists was common to all groups.


CONCLUSIONS
The findings confirm previous research identifying barriers to the use of dental services. However, for the first time in the United Kingdom, it has been suggested that the nature of the perceived barriers varies across ethnic groups. These findings have implications for attempts to increase use of dental services among individuals from minority ethnic communities.
Newton
J T
JT
Division of Dental Public Health & Oral Health Services Research, GKT Dental Institute, London. tim.newton@kcl.ac.uk
Thorogood
N
N
Bhavnani
V
V
Pitt
J
J
Gibbons
D E
DE
Gelbier
S
S
D001294:Attitude to Health; D003469:Culture; D016854:Dental Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D003729:Dental Care / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003752:Dental Health Services; D003812:Dentist-Patient Relations; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D019552:Infection Control, Dental; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D008913:Minority Groups; D009909:Oral Health; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012737:Sex Factors; D006113:United Kingdom