228 - Language Preference as Indicator of Caries Experience and Visit Adherence

Purpose: This retrospective chart review of patients between two and eight years of age attending a dental clinic at a large academic medical center in Washington Heights, New York City between February 1, 2023, and October 16, 2023 examines relationships among parental language preference, caries experience, and visit adherence. 



Methods: Existing data were abstracted from 200 Epic electronic health records, including information on the preferred language for each patient, detailed treatment notes, and number of visits attended versus number of visits missed. Data collected were organized and will be analyzed to determine if there is a significant between-group difference in oral health status and experience of patients whose preferred language is English ("English Group") and those whose preferred language is reported as "other than English" ("Non-English Group"). Oral health status is measured by the summative decayed, missing, or filled teeth (dmft) score and experience of missed scheduled appointments.



Results: Mean dmft score was significantly (p < 0.05) lower among patients with a parental preferred language of English (M=6.2; n=97) vs. Non-English (M=7.6; n=103). The mean percentage of missed appointments was significantly (p < 0.05) lower among patients with a preferred language of English (17.3%) vs. Non-English (12.6%)..



Conclusion: Findings may provide insight into variations in oral health status and experience based on language preference, which may inform the development of targeted interventions to help families of pediatric dental patients overcome language-related barriers to oral health and access to oral care.

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