A major disturbance to many individual's semi-annual dental checkups occurred with the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Because the pandemic disproportionately affected minority populations, a preliminary hypothesis was that this population's oral health was also disproportionately affected. Previous studies on oral health among uninsured free clinic patients indicate poor oral health practice among the population. Free clinic patients tend to experience poor oral health related quality of life (Kamimura, Gull, Weaver, et al., 2016). Patients of free clinics are often not familiar with proper oral care including the correct manner of tooth brushing and daily floss usage (Kamimura, Booth, Johansen, 2017). Dental services are extremely important to be provided at safety-net health care facilities such as free clinics (Kamimura, Gull, Weaver, et al., 2017) because this population tends to otherwise not have access to oral care or education about the importance of maintaining healthy oral care. 2020 brought another complication: the COVID-19 pandemic. Along with examining the statistics of how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected underserved, low-income populations, the results of this study will highlight the ripple effects of the detrimental event of the pandemic that this population has faced, with a focus on their oral care. Data collection was conducted by distributing surveys to patients of the Maliheh Free Clinic. The surveys completed by patients are in their final stages of analysis. By comparing the pre-pandemic oral health habits of underserved populations to their current habits as the pandemic continues, my research will bridge the unknown gap of the pandemic's true impact on the underserved.
Kamimura, A., Booth, C., Lindsey, W., Weaver, S., Edwards, A., Nourian K., & Erickson, L. (2017). Home Dental Care Education for Uninsured Free Clinic Patients in the United States. Diversity and Equality in Health and Care, 14(6), 296-301.
Kamimura, A., Gull, B., Lindsey, W., Weaver, S., Edwards, A., Nourian, K., Ashby, J., & Erickson, L. (2016). Factors Associated with Oral Health-Related Quality of Life Among Safety-Net Clinic Patients. Journal of Public Health Dentistry. Doi: 10.111/jphd.12193.
Kamimura, A., Gull, B., Weaver, S., Wright, L., W., Ashby, J., & Erickson, L. Association Between Health-Related Beliefs and Oral Health Behaviors Among Uninsured Primary Care Patients. Journal of Primary Care & Community Health. Doi: 10.117/2150131916680887. Kamimura, A., Booth, C., Lindsey, W., Weaver, S., Edwards, A., Nourian K., & Erickson, L. (2017). Home Dental Care Education for Uninsured Free Clinic Patients in the United States. Diversity and Equality in Health and Care, 14(6), 296-301.
Kamimura, A., Gull, B., Lindsey, W., Weaver, S., Edwards, A., Nourian, K., Ashby, J., & Erickson, L. (2016). Factors Associated with Oral Health-Related Quality of Life Among Safety-Net Clinic Patients. Journal of Public Health Dentistry. Doi: 10.111/jphd.12193.
Kamimura, A., Gull, B., Weaver, S., Wright, L., W., Ashby, J., & Erickson, L. Association Between Health-Related Beliefs and Oral Health Behaviors Among Uninsured Primary Care Patients. Journal of Primary Care & Community Health. Doi: 10.117/2150131916680887.