Community Dental Health

cover art

Cover Date:
December 2012
Print ISSN:
0265 539X
Vol:
29
Issue:
4

Children’s views on the experience of a visual examination and intra-oral photographs to detect dental caries in epidemiological studies

Aim: To elicit children’s views on the established visual examination method used for the epidemiological surveillance of dental caries and an experimental intra-oral photographic examination method. Method: Focus group interviews were conducted with 5-year-olds (with the aid of a puppet) and 10/11-year-olds (without puppet) after experiencing both methods. Ten focus groups were conducted in each cohort. Results: The children’s views on the methods related to the acceptability of their experience. The key factors affecting acceptability and preferences related to the combined effects of contextual factors prior to the examination and experiences during the examination. These included communication and children’s expectations. These factors influenced the examination experience along with their feelings about the environment and the tactile sensation from instruments in the mouth. Most children preferred the experimental photographic method as a means of caries detection over the traditional visual examination. They also wanted feedback on their oral health and more communication on what was happening during the examination. Conclusion Appropriate communication, attention to the examination environment and handling of instruments can enhance the dental examination experience for children in the school setting. The children’s preferences indicated that generally, the intra-oral camera was well received as a means of caries detection for epidemiological studies within the school setting. These results may have implications for seeking ethical approval and conducting epidemiological studies on children in the future.

Key words: children’s views, caries detection, dental epidemiology, qualitative, intra-oral photographs, visual dental examination

Article Price
£15.00
Institution Article Price
£
Page Start
284
Page End
288
Authors
U. Boye, G.R.K. Foster, I.A. Pretty, M. Tickle

Articles from this issue

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  1. Editorial - Do we really need another system for recording caries? Thoughts on ICDAS
  2. 258
  3. 259

  1. Dental Public Health in Action - Maintaining a survey programme during structural change
  2. 260
  3. 262

  1. Dental health of Irish alcohol/drug abuse treatment centre residents
  2. 263
  3. 267

  1. Recent trends in incidence and mortality of oral and pharyngeal cancer in Schleswig-Holstein in Northern Germany
  2. 268
  3. 273

  1. A description of oral health in three French jails
  2. 274
  3. 278

  1. Dental erosion among 12 year-old Libyan schoolchildren
  2. 279
  3. 283

  1. Children’s views on the experience of a visual examination and intra-oral photographs to detect dental caries in epidemiological studies
  2. 284
  3. 288

  1. Child dental anxiety, parental rearing style and referral status of children
  2. 289
  3. 292

  1. Caries status in 16 year-olds with varying exposure to water fluoridation in Ireland
  2. 293
  3. 296

  1. Caries prevalence in 12-year-old Cypriot children
  2. 297
  3. 301

  1. Cost-effectiveness models for dental caries prevention programmes among Chilean schoolchildren
  2. 302
  3. 308

  1. Industry structures in private dental markets in Finland
  2. 309
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  1. Letter from America: UK and US state-funded dental provision
  2. 315
  3. 320