Language and literacy relate to lack of children's dental sealant use

This study aimed to determine the percent of California's third grade public school children lacking sealants by child and family factors and to measure social disparities for lacking sealants.

The study analyzed data from the California Oral Health Needs Assessment (COHNA) 2004-2005, a complex stratified cluster sample of children (n = 10,450) from 182 randomly selected public elementary schools in California. The dependent variable was absence of sealants in first permanent molars. The independent variables included child race/ethnicity; socio-economic position (SEP) measured as child's participation in the free or reduced-price lunch program at the individual and school level; acculturation measured as language spoken at home and school level percent of English language learners; and parent functional health literacy measured as correctly following questionnaire instructions. Absolute differences and health disparity indices (i.e. Slope Index of Inequality, Relative Index of Inequality-mean, Absolute Concentration Index) were used to measure absolute and relative disparities.

The percent of children lacking sealants was high in all racial/ethnic groups; no child or school level SEP differences in lacking sealants were seen, but significant differences existed by acculturation (child and school level) and parental functional health literacy.

NonEnglish language and poor parental functional health literacy are potential barriers that need to be addressed to overcome disparities in sealant utilization.