Table 1.

Articles that describe oral health barriers African American families encounter.

Reference	Purpose	Population	Study Design	Key Findings	Category
Behrens et al. [16]	To explore factors and identify strategies that could improve the oral health of low income and minority children	25 state and federal policy makers, workforce experts, foundation officials, educators, researchers with interest in children’s oral health	Qualitative Study; interviews with stakeholder and policy makers	Policy stakeholders believe that improving oral health for children requires addressing: both consumer demand and provider supply, lack of outcry for accessible oral health, undervaluing oral health, health literacy and outreach campaigns	Structural
Bhagavatula et al. [17]	To document the rates of prevention, restoration, and surgical dental procedures provided to children enrolled in private insurance, Delta Dental	266,380 children (age 0–18) (12% African American), that received care from 2002–2008 in Milwaukee	Descriptive study; registry summary design	44% of AA had one dental visit during study period; rates of preventative procedures increased to age 9 and then decreased	Structural
Collins et al. [18]	To understand what parents consider to be important factors and resources that influence their child’s oral care	Utilized Photovoice with 10 parents of infants and toddlers; five group sessions were conducted	Qualitative Study; participatory research approach	Poor oral health was associated with avoidance of problems; financial constraints, time constraints, and occasional parental frustration completing child’s oral hygiene routines	Familial, Sociocultural, Structural
Dawkins et al. [19]	To compare sociodemographic differences between caries and no caries groups and investigate factors associated with untreated dental caries	2453 participants (5.8% African American), children (age 6–15), school-based dental sealant program in KY	Observational Study; pooled cross-sectional design	Older children living in rural areas were more likely to have untreated dental caries and lack insurance	Structural
Dodd et al. [20]	To explore oral health perceptions and dental care behaviors among rural adolescents	100 rural youth (age 12–18), (80% Black), low SES	Qualitative study; emergent thematic approach	Perceived threat from oral disease was low, esthetics main reason for seeking care; access, finances, transportation, and fear were also noted	Sociocultural
Eisen et al. [21]	Examine relationship between race and dental services	1408 participants (59.3% African American)	Observational Study; cross-sectional analysis of data from The Exploring Health Disparities in Integrated Communities (Baltimore, MD)	More AA used dental services in previous 2 years; place of living an important factor to consider when seeking to understand race difference in dental service use	Structural
Fisher-Owens et al. [22]	To assess the extent that factors other than race explain disparities in children’s oral health	Data from National Survey of Children’s Health Children (n = 82,020) (age 2–17)	Observational Study; model based survey data analysis	AA more likely to report poor oral health, lack preventative care, and experience unmet need. However, these are attenuated, to varying degrees, when researchers adjust for socioeconomic status	Structural
Flores et al. [23]	To identify racial/ethnic disparities in medical and oral health, access to care, and uses of services in U.S. children	Sample from National Surveys of Children’s Health, parents of 90,117 children (age 0–17), (9.84% African American)	Descriptive study; secondary analysis	Disparities continue to exist, with increased use of services disparities decreased; however, several new disparities for African American children including uninsurance rates and difficulty getting specialty care	Structural
Flores et al. [24]	To examine parental awareness of and the reasons for lack of insurance coverage in eligible communities	97 recruitment sites; 267 participants (age 0–18) (35% African American)	Observational Study; cross-sectional design	Half the participants were unaware that their children were eligible for federally funded insurance	Structural
Guarnizo-Herreño et al. [25]	To measure inequalities in children’s dental health based on racial/ethnic identity	Representative sample of children and adolescents (age 2–11); White, Black, Hispanic	Observational Study; decomposition model for analysis	SES accounted for 71% of the gap in preventive dental care between AA and White	Structural
Isong et al. [26]	To examine the impact of national health policies on AA children’s receipt of dental care	Children 2–17 years old; from 1964 to 2010	Observational study	Percent of AA children without a dental visit declined significantly over time	Sociocultural, Structural
Lau et al. [27]	To examine racial/ethnic disparities in medical and oral health status, access to care and use of services in U.S. adolescents	47,728 parent responses from National Surveys of Children’s Health for adolescents (age 10–17), (9.84% African American)	Descriptive study; secondary analysis	Suboptimal health and lack of personal doctor were found to be one of the most profound disparities to exist	Structural
Pourat et al. [28]	To look at racial and ethnic differences between children with private insurance and those in Medicaid or CHIP	Sample from the California Survey of Health, 10,805 children (age 0–11) (7% African American)	Descriptive study	AA with Medicare more likely to have longer intervals between visits than Caucasian children with Medicare	Structural

Note. AA = African American; SES = socioeconomic status; CHIP = Children’s Health Insurance Program.