Abstract
There is limited information on the oral health of Albanian immigrant population residing in the U.S. This creates a hinderance to developing and implementing appropriate dental care programs for the population. This study investigated oral health practices, beliefs, dental visits and associated factors of Albanian adults living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Purposive and snowball sampling methods were employed. Self-administered questionnaires were used to collect data on oral health practices, beliefs, dental visits and socio-demographic information. Descriptive and multivariable logistics regression were conducted. Overall, 266 adults were recruited, 54% male, 56% have lived 10 or more years in the U.S., 95% rated their oral health as excellent/good and 87% reported having a dental visit in the last year. Age, ability to speak English, having a usual source of dental care, and reporting excellent/good oral health were associated with having a dental visit in the last year. A substantial number of Albanians adult reported a dental visit in the last year and those that did not write or read in English had lower odds of reporting a dental visit.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Migration Policy Institute. U.S. immigrant population and share over time, 1850-present. This chart displays both the number of immigrants residing in the United States and their share of the total U.S. population over time. http://www.migrationpolicy.org/programs/data-hub/charts/immigrant-population-over-time?width=1000&height=850&iframe=true. Accessed 7 July 2017.
Zong J, Batalova J. Frequently requested statistics on immigrants and immigration in the United States. Migration Policy Institute; 2016. http://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/frequently-requested-statistics-immigrants-and-immigration-united-states. Accessed 7 July 2017.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Oral health in America: a report of the surgeon general. Rockville: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health; 2000.
US Census Bureau. American Community Survey. People reporting ancestry; 2009. http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=bkmk. Accessed 27 Nov 2016.
Nedelkoska L, Khaw N. The Albanian Community in the United States Statistical Profiling of the Albanian-Americans. Center for International Development at Harvard University; 2015. pp. 1–28. https://projects.iq.harvard.edu/files/albaniagrowthlab/files/usadiasporaprofile_final.pdf Accessed 27 Nov 2016.
Hysi C, Droboniku E, Toti C. Caries experience and treatment needs among Albanian 12-year-olds. Community Dent Health. 2014;31(3):141–4.
Petersen PE, Bourgeois D, Ogawa H, Estupinan-Day S, Ndiaye C. The global burden of oral diseases and risks to oral health. Bull World Health Org. 2005;83(9):661–9.
Laganá G, Abazi Y, Nastasi E, Vinjolli F, Fabi F, Divizia M, Cozza P. Oral health conditions in an Albanian adolescent population: An epidemiological study. BMC Oral Health. 2015;15:67.
LibGuides: Cultural Approaches to Pediatric Palliative Care in Central Massachusetts: Albanian; 2016. http://libraryguides.umassmed.edu/c.php?g=499760&p=3422601. Accessed 15 May 2017.
Department of Sociology. Accessing Hidden and Hard-to-Reach Populations: Snowball Research Strategies. University of Surrey; 2001. http://sru.soc.surrey.ac.uk/SRU33.pdf. Accessed 27 Nov 2016.
Derose KP, Escarce JJ, Lurie N. Immigrants and health care; source of vulnerability. Health Aff. 2007;26:1258–68.
Smedley BD, Stitch AY, Nelson AR. Unequal treatment confronting racial and ethnic disparities in health care. Washington: The National Academies Press; 2003.
Bischoff A, Hudelson P. Access to healthcare interpreter services: where are we and where do we need to go?. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2010;7(7):2838–44.
Dolan TA, Atchison K, Huynh TN. Access to dental care among older adults in the United States. J Dent Educ. 2005;69(9):961–74.
Janes GR, Blackman DK, Bolen JC, et al. Surveillance for use of preventive health-care services by older adults, 1995–1997. MMWR. 1999;17(SS08):51–88.
Meuller CD, Schur CL, Paramore LC. Access to dental care in the United States: estimates froma 1994 survey. J Am Dent Assoc. 1998;129(4):429–38.
Merk ML, Schur CL, Cantor JC. Ability to obtain health care: recent estimates from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation National Access to Care Survey. Health Aff. 1995;14(3):139–46.
Okunseri C, Yang M, Gonzalez C, LeMay W, Iacopino AM. Hmong adults self-reported oral health: a pilot study. J Immigr Minor Health. 2008;10:81–8.
Vujicic M, Buchmueller T, Klein R. Dental care presents the highest level of financial barriers, compared to other types of health care services. Health Aff. 2016;35(12):217602182.
Xhihani B, Rainchuso L, Smallidge D, Dominick C. J Community Health. 2017;42:235–41.
Funding
This study was supported by National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (Grant No. R03DE024494-02).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Rota, K., Spanbauer, C., Szabo, A. et al. Oral Health Practices, Beliefs and Dental Service Utilization of Albanian Immigrants in Milwaukee, Wisconsin: A Pilot Study. J Immigrant Minority Health 21, 315–323 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-018-0738-1
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-018-0738-1