title: A first look: determinants of dental care for children in foster care.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This hypothesis-generating study sought to identify potential determinants of dental care use and oral health among children living in foster care.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using a grounded theory approach, fourteen key informant interviews were conducted among health and social services professionals experienced with children in foster care and families in western Washington State.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The identified potential determinants of oral health and dental use among children living in foster care included: (1) linguistic and cultural barriers; (2) lack of dentists willing to accept children's Medicaid dental insurance; (3) lack of resources available to case workers (i.e., large caseload burden) (4) lack of federal funding for specialized dental care; (5) lack of systematic health record-keeping; (6) child transience, leading to the lack of a dental home; (8) foster parents' competing needs; (7) child behavior problems; and (9) lack of dental "buy in" from adolescents.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Additional studies are needed to determine whether children living in foster care achieve oral health, and the extent of their unmet dental need.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Health Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA. melbye@uw.edu
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Melbye
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Huebner
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Chi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hinderberger
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Milgrom
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior; D003266:Continuity of Patient Care; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003469:Culture; D003729:Dental Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005195:Family Relations; D005380:Financing, Government; D005581:Foster Home Care; D015438:Health Behavior; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006295:Health Resources; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008484:Medicaid; D020380:Needs Assessment; D009909:Oral Health; D024382:Professional Role; D011996:Records; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012947:Social Work; D014481:United States; D014861:Washington