Table 1.

Parent focus group interview guide

Questions	Sub-questions
1. What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the phrase “oral health”?	a. aWhat does “good oral health” mean to you? i. bWhen you think of your child, would you say that he or she has “good oral health”? ii. bHow would you describe a child who has good oral health? iii. bThink about your child’s friends, how would you describe those that have good oral health?
2. What comes to mind when you hear the phrase “poor oral health”?	a. aWhen you think of your child, what could be thought of as poor oral health? i. bWhat could be thought as the worst thing for poor oral health? ii. bHow would you describe a child with poor oral health? b. aHow much of a problem is this among children in your family? i. bHow common is it among children in other families who live in this community? Among your friends? ii. bHow concerned are you about your son or daughter developing dental problems (dental decay)?
3. As parents, how do you help your child have healthy teeth?	a. aWhat do you think parents can do (or you as a parent can do) to prevent dental problems in kids (your kids)? b. aAs a parent, what do you think are the most important ways to help a child have good oral health? c. bWhat activities can you do to improve your child’s oral health? d. cWhat about diet and oral health? e. cWhat about flouride and oral health? f. cWhat about the experiences of your other children?
4. Tell me whether you think you can control your child’s oral health?	a. bAre there oral health problems that you feel you can control? i. cWhat would they be? ii. cWhat steps can you take to control the problem? iii. cYourself? iv. cWhat about other people? Can they do anything to control the problem? b. bWhen you can control an oral health problem, how does you child respond? c. bWhen you dealt with an oral health problem, how successful were you? d. cSo, you could not control a problem, then what did you do? i. bWhat was your child’s response? ii. bWhen you think about it now, does the problem still exist?
5. Other than your family and those who provide care, is there anyone else that you think should or could have an important role in your child’s oral health?	a. bWhy? What do you think they can do to help? i. cWhat about role models in entertainment? ii. cWhat about advertising and media messages? iii. cWhat about public policies? iv. cWhat about insurance?
6. What concerns do you have about your child’s future oral health?	a. bAs your child grows older, what oral health problems can affect him/her? i. cHow can poor oral health affect a child’s social and psychological well-being? ii. cHow can it affect a person’s chances of economic success? iii. cHow can it affect one’s general health over a lifetime?
7. Tell me whether you think you can control your child’s oral health?	a. bAre there oral health problems that you feel you can control? i. cWhat would they be? ii. cWhat steps can you take to control the problem? iii. cYourself? iv. cWhat about other people? Can they do anything to control the problem? b. bWhen you can control an oral health problem, how does you child respond? c. bWhen you can dealt an oral health problem, how successful were you? d. cSo, you could not control a problem, then what did you do? i. bWhat was your child’s response? ii. bWhen you think about it now, does the problem still exist?
8. Other than your family and those who provide care, is there anyone else that you think should or could have an important role in your child’s oral health?	a. bWhy? What do you think they can do to help? i. cWhat about role models in entertainment? ii. cWhat about advertising and media messages? iii. cWhat about public policies? iv. cWhat about insurance?
9. What concerns do you have about your child’s future oral health?	a. bAs your child grows older, what oral health problems can affect him/her?

^aFollow-up

^bPrompt

^cProbe