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Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health

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01-04-2018 | Original Paper

Acculturation and a Potential Relationship with Oral Health Outcomes Among Somali Refugees in Massachusetts

Authors: Jo Hunter-Adams, Jennifer Cochran, Lance D. Laird, Michael K. Paasche-Orlow, Paul L. Geltman

Published in: Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health | Issue 2/2018

Abstract

This paper explores the relationship between acculturation and oral health in a study of Somali refugees. This cross-sectional survey included structured surveys and dental examinations of a convenience sample of 439 Somali adults living in Massachusetts. Associations between an acculturation scale and: (1) lifetime history of caries and (2) access to oral health services were calculated. In bivariate analyses, many individual questions in the scale were associated with outcomes. In multivariate analysis, speaking English (OR 0.5, CI 0.28–0.84) was associated with better access to, and utilization of, dental health services while reading American books and newspapers in English was associated with increased lifetime history of dental disease (OR 2.6, CI 1.1–6.0). As specific elements of acculturation have different relationships with oral health among Somali refugees, a summary acculturation scale may have limited utility. Ongoing efforts to remove language barriers may improve oral health.

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Title: Acculturation and a Potential Relationship with Oral Health Outcomes Among Somali Refugees in Massachusetts
Authors: Jo Hunter-Adams
Jennifer Cochran
Lance D. Laird
Michael K. Paasche-Orlow
Paul L. Geltman
Publication date: 01-04-2018
Publisher: Springer US
Published in: Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health / Issue 2/2018
Print ISSN: 1557-1912
Electronic ISSN: 1557-1920
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-017-0650-0

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Acculturation and a Potential Relationship with Oral Health Outcomes Among Somali Refugees in Massachusetts

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