Nordström Marie, Lindmark Ulrika, Wolf Eva, Ralephenya Tshakane, Mtyongwe Deliwe, Kearney Angelique, Sodo Pumla, Malele-Kolisa Yolanda
Faculty of Odontology, Malmö University, Malmö, Sweden.
Department of Health Sciences, Karlstad University, Karlstad, Sweden.
BMC Oral Health. 2025 Sep 23;25(1):1418. doi: 10.1186/s12903-025-06941-z.
Dental caries is a global public health problem with persistent inequalities. Research with a salutogenic perspective, as in, a focus on health factors, can provide important knowledge to be used in health promotion. The aim was to explore salutogenic resources among dental caries-free young adults living in vulnerable communities in South Africa.
A total of 32 participants (28 females, 4 males, mean age 26.2 years) with no previous caries experience were purposively recruited from two under-resourced townships. The qualitative data from interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed via qualitative content analysis.
The resulting theme, A salutogenic foundation for oral health: preservation of traditions and use of personal health assets as protection against challenges, comprised two categories: (1) Individual health assets and early intergenerational learning, and (2) Ability to apply learned health strategies. Having individual health assets and tools for coping, early learning experiences by positive family influence, being exposed to healthy traditions during hardships, and the ability to apply learned health strategies were important salutogenic resources. Together, these resources formed a salutogenic foundation for oral health which enabled individuals to develop healthy routines, make healthy choices for oral health, and maintain oral health when encountering challenges and hardships.
Salutogenic resources for oral health empowered individuals from vulnerable communities to maintain oral health. This suggests that future health promotion interventions should be considered and directed at multiple levels, targeting individual, family, community, and structural factors to promote sustainable oral health.
龋齿是一个存在持续不平等现象的全球公共卫生问题。从健康促进视角进行研究，即关注健康因素，可为健康促进提供重要知识。目的是探索生活在南非弱势社区的无龋青年成年人中的健康促进资源。
从两个资源匮乏的城镇中，有目的地招募了32名此前无龋齿经历的参与者（28名女性，4名男性，平均年龄26.2岁）。访谈的定性数据进行了录音、转录，并通过定性内容分析进行分析。
得出的主题为“口腔健康的健康促进基础：传统的传承与个人健康资产作为应对挑战的保护手段”，包括两个类别：（1）个人健康资产与早期代际学习，以及（2）应用所学健康策略的能力。拥有个人健康资产和应对工具、受积极家庭影响的早期学习经历、在艰难时期接触健康传统以及应用所学健康策略的能力是重要的健康促进资源。这些资源共同构成了口腔健康的健康促进基础，使个体能够养成健康的日常习惯，做出有利于口腔健康的选择，并在遇到挑战和困难时保持口腔健康。
口腔健康的健康促进资源使弱势社区的个体有能力保持口腔健康。这表明未来的健康促进干预措施应在多个层面进行考虑并加以实施，针对个体、家庭、社区和结构因素，以促进可持续的口腔健康。
