{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,17]],"date-time":"2026-04-17T11:41:10Z","timestamp":1776426070119,"version":"3.51.2"},"reference-count":50,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"12","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,11,27]],"date-time":"2024-11-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1732665600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)","award":["1R21DE032853-01"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["1R21DE032853-01"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJERPH"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Parents\u2019 beliefs and practices significantly shape young children\u2019s oral health (OH), particularly during preschool years when these habits are being established. Immigrant parents often face challenges in promoting OH due to cultural, financial, and logistical barriers. This qualitative study explored OH beliefs, practices, and barriers among Brazilian immigrant mothers in the United States (U.S.). Semi-structured interviews, guided by the Health Belief Model (HBM), were conducted with mothers of children aged 2\u20135 years. Thematic analysis, also guided by the HBM, revealed four key themes: (1) beliefs about children\u2019s OH; (2) awareness of the parent\u2019s role in fostering early OH behaviors; (3) identification of risk and protective factors affecting children\u2019s OH; and (4) perceived barriers to maintaining children\u2019s optimal OH. Mothers emphasized the importance of proper oral hygiene, regular dental check-ups, and balanced diets for promoting children\u2019s OH. Despite recognizing their role in supporting oral hygiene routines and care, mothers noted barriers such as limited access to care, linguistic barriers, and difficulty adopting and maintaining healthy OH practices due to work and family demands. Notably, 96.6% (n = 28) of the mothers scored low on the SASH scale (SASH &lt; 2.99), reflecting low acculturation levels, which may further contribute to these challenges. Study findings highlight the critical role of parental beliefs and practices in shaping early OH behaviors and the unique challenges faced by Brazilian immigrant mothers. Culturally relevant public health interventions, including tailored education and improved access to affordable dental care, are essential for enhancing OH outcomes in young children from these families.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph21121574","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,11,27]],"date-time":"2024-11-27T04:20:12Z","timestamp":1732681212000},"page":"1574","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":8,"title":["Exploring Brazilian Immigrant Mothers\u2019 Beliefs and Practices Regarding Their Preschool Children\u2019s Oral Health: A Qualitative Study Conducted in the United States"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"21","author":[{"given":"Denise Lima","family":"Nogueira","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Nursing, Faculty Luciano Feij\u00e3o, Sobral 62050-215, Cear\u00e1, Brazil"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5910-921X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maria Gabriela","family":"Miranda Fontenele","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Nursing, Federal University of Cear\u00e1, Fortaleza 60355-636, Cear\u00e1, Brazil"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Adriana","family":"Bento","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Brazilian Community Partner, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA 02125, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Steven A.","family":"Cohen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI 02881, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5963-920X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mary L.","family":"Greaney","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI 02881, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2520-0493","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ana Cristina","family":"Lindsay","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Urban Public Health, Robert and Donna Manning College of Nursing and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA 02125, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,11,27]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"249","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(19)31146-8","article-title":"Oral diseases: A global public health challenge","volume":"394","author":"Peres","year":"2019","journal-title":"Lancet"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"264","DOI":"10.1177\/23800844211020298","article-title":"Making Cavities History: A Global Policy Consensus for Achieving a Dental Cavity-Free Future","volume":"6","author":"Pitts","year":"2021","journal-title":"JDR Clin. 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