VIEWS OF VULNERABLE FAMILIES ON PROMOTING CHILDREN’S ORAL HEALTH: A CONTENT ANALYSIS

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this article is to evaluate the opinions of families that participated in the oral health promotion program “Sembrando sonrisas” (Sowing smiles) in the Atacama Region in northern Chile. Materials and Methods: Descriptive-interpretative study using qualitative methodology and content analysis. We analyzed 294 opinions expressed by 194 families in the class project book called “cuaderno viajero” of the pilot program, carried out in 2017 in twelve public kindergardens of four different cities. The content analysis was carried out with the support of the Atlas.ti® software. Results: 25 categories were established in the first phase and 8 theoretical categories emerged in a second phase, of which the following stand out: parental attitudes that favor oral health in their children, knowledge about oral health, playful relationship with oral hygiene, relationship between physical image and oral health, among others. Conclusions: The educational strategy contributes to reducing gaps in knowledge of oral health among parents from vulnerable sectors, and contributes to greater social justice in terms of greater access to oral care, but requires continuous monitoring by trained personnel.