The short-term results of an MI-adapted and culturally tailored intervention on self-reported oral health behaviors of indigenous caregivers and their children

Introduction: American Indian (AI) children have the highest incidence of dental caries of any ethnic group with 4 times the cases of untreated dental caries compared to white children. Great Beginnings for Healthy Native Smiles (NIDCR U01DE028508), a community focused oral health intervention, included culturally tailored oral health education materials utilized alongside adapted motivational interviewing (MI) techniques to promote oral health care and education at home. Methods: The intervention was conducted by local community members from two partnered Indigenous communities. Using formative assessment data from semi-structured caregiver and provider interviews, session transcript data, and debriefing interview data from participants post-intervention, the objective of this study was to determine the impact of culturally tailored oral health education focused on behavior change in each community. Results: Results suggest that discussion with community health representatives using adapted MI and culturally tailored materials can result in self-reported behavioral change. Discussion: The findings highlight the importance of involving trusted community health workers in delivering culturally tailored oral health messages for mothers and their children to reduce ECC.