Adolescents' views on oral health care and promotion in Norway: everyday practices, recommendations, and future visions.

Introduction: In this study, we aimed to understand adolescents' perspectives on oral health care and promotion. Our research was conducted in the context of Norway's oral health care system, where societal factors like income and education influence health disparities. Despite free public dental care for all residents younger than 19 years, challenges persist in promoting oral health among adolescents, a group whose oral health behavior and literacy remain largely unexplored. Materials and methods: A thematic analysis of an anonymized dataset from 80 adolescents aged 12-20 years was conducted. Results: Five central themes were recognized: (1) Feeling fresh vs. feeling indifferent: A broad spectrum of attitudes; (2) Bridging gaps, building habits: Collaborative efforts in oral care; (3) "Create good experiences at the dentist so people come back again"; (4) Requested qualities in oral health promoting solutions; (5) Reminder tools for everyday use. Taken together, these themes highlight adolescents' oral health practices and resources, recommendations for dental clinics, and visions for future oral health promotion. Discussion: Based on the results, the discussion highlights a need for tailored oral health promotion and ideas to reach adolescents in meaningful and effective ways. Reflections on the theme of social inequalities are provided.

Investigating hope in oral health promotion for adolescents: an exploratory study based on observations at the dental clinic.

Introduction: Maintaining well-being is crucial, especially in challenging conditions, considering the common public health issue of dental caries. Within the context of adolescent oral health, this research explores the techniques employed by dental professionals to potentially foster hope -a positive manner that promotes well-being- in adolescents during consultations, opening a window into the realm of patient engagement and well-being. Materials and methods: Data were collected through observations conducted at public dental clinics in Norway, with the participation of three dental professionals and four adolescents between the ages of 12 and 15 years. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Practices were observed from dental professionals in their interactions with adolescents, which align with features of hope. Result: Three core themes were identified: (1) bonding strategies; (2) verbal and non-verbal strategies for creating positive relationships; and (3) adolescents' empowerment in dental consultations. Conclusion: Although a new concept within oral health promotion, it seems that dental professionals in this study were observed to be facilitating hope in adolescents when they were providing their dental care. Consideration should be given to the potential for future approaches to be developed for use in dental consultations to facilitate hope strategically. While these approaches are likely to contribute to improving patient-centredness, consideration is needed of challenges and barriers to their implementation.

Dental professionals' views on motivational interviewing for the prevention of dental caries with adolescents in central Norway.

BACKGROUND: Establishing positive oral health behaviours during adolescence should be a key priority to improve lifelong oral health. However, changing adolescent behaviours is known to be a challenge. Motivational interviewing (MI) is a method of working with patients to activate their motivation for change and has shown promising results within the dental setting. Yet, little is known about the actual experiences and perspectives of Norwegian dental health professionals in delivering motivational interviewing as part of routine care to their young patients. The overall aim of the present study was to explore the implementation of motivational interviewing by dentists and dental hygienists, employed by the Norwegian Public Dental Service, for their adolescent patients. METHODS: As part of the larger #Care4YoungTeeth <3 project, a Norwegian Research Council funded four-year Collaborative Project to Meet Societal and Industry-related Challenges, an online survey was developed and administered to dental personnel (n = 168) in one region of Central Norway. Data were analysed by descriptive statistics and two-sample tests of proportions at the 95% confidence level. RESULTS: A total of 98 dental personnel responded to the survey (response rate 58.3%), of which 37 were dental hygienists (response rate 72.5%) and 61 were dentists (response rate 52.1%). A greater proportion of hygienists reported implementing this intervention compared to dentists (78.4% versus 50.8%; p = 0.007). Similarly, a greater proportion of hygienists (83.8%) stated that they had received training in MI compared to dentists (65.6%; p = 0.051). About 80% of dentists and 90% of dental hygienists felt that they understood the principles of MI. However, only about 45% and 60%, respectively, felt confident in its use. Dental hygienists found MI more usable in their work (p = 0.052), to a greater extent want to use MI (p = 0.002) and found that using MI works well (p < 0.001), as compared to dentists. CONCLUSIONS: A high proportion of dental professionals working within a Norwegian public dental service have received training in MI. However, barriers to implementation for adolescent patients and differences in practice between dentists and hygienists warrant further enquiry.

Participation and Inclusion of Children and Youth with Disabilities in Local Communities.

This research aimed at strengthening the evidence base for interventions to promote the participation and inclusion of children and youth with disabilities in their communities. Four selected municipalities in four different regions of Norway participated. Focus group discussions (FGDs) were carried out in all four municipalities with service providers, children and youth with disabilities, and parents of children and youth with disabilities. The FGDs were used to develop a questionnaire to measure participation indicators. A survey was carried out among 186 children and youth, combining (a) random sampling of children and youth without disabilities and (b) invitations to all children and youth with disabilities, as registered by the municipalities. High-level analyses of the FGDs are presented, indicating the barriers and facilitators for participation for children and youth with disabilities, as well as requests for improvement of services to stimulate participation. The categories of family, technology, and volunteering were identified primarily as facilitators of participation, while school environment was primarily identified as a barrier. The survey measured four different aspects of perception of one's own participation. Data analyses revealed higher level of environmental barriers among children and youth with disabilities, and lower level of actual participation, satisfaction with one's own participation and one's own participation compared with that of peers.

Interactions between caregivers and young children: exploring pedagogical tact in nebulizer treatment.

Although research in health care suggests that one of the most important factors for efficient medical delivery is the child's willingness to cooperate, little is known about how caregivers facilitate cooperation with young children during medical treatment. In this article, we explore interactions between parents, nurses, and young children during pediatric nebulizer treatment in terms of tact as a pedagogical concept. Based on our analysis, which followed a hermeneutic approach and included video observations of five hospitalized children aged between 15 and 30 months, we present four themes related to pedagogical tact of caregivers and children's willingness to cooperate, and discuss the role that medical products can play in this cooperation. The results benefit pediatric health personnel, as well as product designers.