College of Dental Medicine, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, 2713, Qatar.
Primary Health Care Corporation, Doha, Qatar.
BMC Oral Health. 2023 Nov 25;23(1):924. doi: 10.1186/s12903-023-03633-4.
Oral health of preschool children remains a concern globally. Primary healthcare providers are in a vital position to support preventive oral care programmes. This study explored current practices, perception and barriers of primary health care professionals towards oral health promotion program of children in Qatar.
The qualitative research used focus group discussions and interviewed a total of 108 participants that were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Four major themes emerged and were analysed to explore contextual patterns within the data.
Participants acknowledged the high prevalence of caries in children and identified the causes in the local context which included parental practices, poor dietary habits, impact of culture lack of oral health knowledge, limitations in the healthcare system, and negative role of the media. However, complex barriers were exposed, including lack of time and ownership, system coordination between organizations, and lack of policy.
Health professionals and bureaucrats involved in decision-making held a positive attitude towards oral health prevention programs and were enthusiastic to initiate and support these programs.
学龄前儿童的口腔健康仍然是全球关注的问题。初级保健提供者在支持预防口腔保健计划方面处于至关重要的地位。本研究探讨了卡塔尔初级保健专业人员对儿童口腔健康促进计划的当前实践、看法和障碍。
这项定性研究使用焦点小组讨论和访谈的方式,共采访了 108 名参与者,并对他们的录音和逐字记录进行了转录。出现了四个主要主题,并进行了分析,以探索数据中的情境模式。
参与者承认儿童龋齿的高患病率,并确定了当地的原因,包括父母的做法、不良的饮食习惯、文化的影响、缺乏口腔健康知识、医疗保健系统的限制以及媒体的负面影响。然而,也暴露出了复杂的障碍,包括缺乏时间和所有权、组织之间的系统协调以及政策的缺乏。
参与决策的卫生专业人员和官僚对口腔健康预防计划持积极态度,并热衷于发起和支持这些计划。