Shades of Decay: The Meanings of Tooth Discoloration and Deterioration to Mexican Immigrant Caregivers of Young Children.
The objective of this article is to investigate parental understanding of tooth discoloration and decay and their related care seeking for young, Mexican-American children. The research design entailed semi-structured, face-to-face interviews conducted in Spanish with a convenience sample of 37 Mexican immigrant mothers of young children in a low-income urban neighborhood. Five major color terms - white, off-white, yellow, brown, and black - were used to describe tooth discoloration, the causes of which were mainly unrecognized or attributed to poor oral hygiene and exposure to sweet substances. Mothers also described three major levels of deterioration of the structural integrity of teeth due to caries, from stains to decayed portions to entirely rotten. A trend was observed between use of darker discoloration terms and extensive carious lesions. Teeth described as both dark in color and structurally damaged resulted in seeking of professional care. The paper concludes with the finding that Spanish terms used to describe tooth discoloration and carious lesions are broad and complex. Mexican immigrant mothers' interpretations of tooth discoloration and decay may differ from dental professionals' and result in late care seeking. Increased understanding between dental practitioners and caregivers is needed to create educational messages about the early signs of tooth decay.
Department of Epidemiology at the University of Washington's School of Public Health.
Erin E
EE
Masterson
Department of Anthropology, History & Social Medicine and Department of Preventive & Restorative Dental Sciences at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF).
Judith C
JC
Barker
Department of Preventive & Restorative Dental Sciences and a doctoral candidate in the Epidemiology & Translational Science Program at UCSF.
Kristin S
KS
Hoeft
Division of Oral Epidemiology and Dental Public Health in the Department of Preventive & Restorative Dental Sciences at UCSF.
Susan
S
Hyde
Americans; Mexican; caries; healthcare disparities; immigrants; parental beliefs; tooth discoloration