Bilingual interactions: challenges faced by dental providers and interpreters at a pediatric dental clinic

The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate the challenges and conflicts faced by dental providers and interpreters during bilingual pediatric dental encounters. Investigators recruited 6 professional Spanish and Nepali medical interpreters and 11 pedi¬atric dentists or residents to participate in one-on-one, semistructured, open-ended interviews about their experiences and challenges during bilingual pediatric dental visits. The interviews were audio recorded and transcribed. Constant comparative analysis was used to identify themes related to provider-interpreter interactions in a pediatric dental setting from the data transcripts. Dental providers identified several challenges associated with the interpretation process: miscommuni¬cation between the provider and interpreter; misunder¬standing the other's (provider's and interpreter's) role and boundaries; and not knowing if the interpretation was correct. Interpreters also identified some challenges in these interactions: miscommunication between the provider and patient; the provider did not seem respect¬ful of the patient; and the patient and provider had significant cultural differences in their way of handling illness information. Dental providers and interpreters can utilize these results and key takeaways to improve dental care for pediatric patients. Awareness of the challenges associated with bilingual pediatric dental encounters and developing strategies to alleviate conflicts will lead to improved quality of care and experiences for patients, interpreters, and providers.