Sikhs in Minnesota: Dental Care Access, Ethnicity, and Acculturation

To explore the dental care experiences of one of Minnesota's ethnic communities, the authors conducted pilot study among members of Sikh temple. The Sikhs, a religious group from the Punjab region of India, number roughly 1,500-2,000 individuals in the Twin Cities. Forty-seven adults from the Bloomington, Minnesot temple completed the survey, which was administered during interviews with one of the authors, himself a Sikh. Respondents, who ranged in age from 29 to 92, have been in the United States for an average of 16 years, and had educational backgrounds ranging from undergraduate, Masters, to doctoral degrees. Their self-reported oral health is deemed good. They regularly seek dental care, including preventive services. Their experiences with dental practices have largely been positive, and they have found little discrimination when encountering dental office staff members. Some degree of communication issues was reported by 25% of respondents. Roughly half of the persons surveyed seek care in private practices, but a surprisingly high percentage (13%) visit the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry clinics. Most respondents were comfortable discussing their culture and religion with dental office staff members, and they seemed to hold a positive view of Minnesota's dental profession. Sikh weddings are always full of rituals, traditions, and celebrations. The wedding usually takes place in the morning and is held in front of the Sikh holy book Shri Guru Granth Sahib. A bride may traditionally be dressed in red, as the color red symbolizes love and commitment in Indian culture. The groom wears a colored turban and scarf and carries a kirpan, a ceremonial sword a dagger. The priest leading this ceremony explains the Sikh philosophy of marriage. Family members, relatives, and friends gather to congratulate and bless the new couple, and the whole wedding can last three to four days, made up of a number of rituals.