Self-reported oral health perceptions of Somali adults in Minnesota: a pilot study.
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.


CONCLUSIONS
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.
Okunseri
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Dental Public Health Program, Department of Clinical Services, Marquette University School of Dentistry, Milwaukee, WI 53201-1881, USA. christopher.okunseri@mu.edu
Hodges
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Born
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D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003144:Communication Barriers; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004245:DMF Index; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003752:Dental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017533:Marital Status; D008875:Middle Aged; D008910:Minnesota / Q000453:epidemiology; D009909:Oral Health; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012649:Self Concept; D012647:Self-Assessment; D012998:Somalia / Q000208:ethnology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires