Factors influencing whether low-income mothers have a usual source of dental care

Mothers are both the source of dental caries and the managers of children's use of dental care. This is particularly important for the low-income popu lation. The objective of this research was to explore predictors of having a usual source of dental care among low-income women. Eight-hundred-ten mot hers (82 percent white, mean age twenty-seven years), drawn from among part icipants in an ABCD program in one Washington State County completed a stud y questionnaire. The study examined predisposing, enabling and illness leve l variables in relation to whether the mother reported a usual source of de ntal care for herself. Fifty-two percent of the subjects gave positive answ ers to the dependent variable Do you now have a dentist you can go to if yo u have a problem ? The analysis suggests that mothers that report good oral health and believe in care for their children are five times as likely to have a usual source of care for themselves than mothers who report both poo r oral health and more negative attitudes about dental care for children. T he results suggest that interventions aimed at child health that ignore the welfare of the mother are likely to be less successful than those that als o address the mothers' needs.