Parent Focus Groups on the Oral Health and Dental Care Experiences of Children with Special Health Care Needs

Oral health is essential to children’s overall well-being. Poor oral health is associated with physical health problems, negative impacts on school attendance and academic performance, and poorer mental health. Children with special health care needs (CSHCN) face barriers to accessing high-quality dental care and experience greater unmet dental care needs and oral health problems than those without special health care needs. 

NORC at the University of Chicago conducted a comprehensive, national study to better understand the oral health needs and dental care experiences of CSHCN, including children with complex medical conditions, and compared these experiences to those of children without special health care needs. NORC’s mixed methods approach included conducting seven focus groups with parents of CSHCN from around the country to better understand the nuances and complexities that families face in navigating the dental care system and caring for their children’s oral health at home. Two of these focus groups were conducted with mono-lingual Spanish-speaking parents to learn about the particular experiences of families who may face language barriers. Some key themes that emerged from the focus group discussions include experiences with dental care providers, insurance coverage and costs, oral health at home, and the overall impact on families of navigating the dental care system.