Abstract
Acculturation has been widely used in health research to explain oral health disparities between immigrants and their native born counterparts. However, immigrants’ oral health studies have not clearly defined the acculturation construct. Also, a narrow focus on cultural oral health behaviours is likely to be inadequate for explaining immigrants’ oral health inequities, which are also rooted in societal, political and economic factors produced across the globe. In this brief report, we discuss the use of the acculturation framework in the dental public health literature, note gaps in this approach, and argue for the need to incorporate the political economy lens to help better understand the complexities of immigrants’ oral health.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
References
Berry JW. Conceptual approaches to acculturation. In: Chun KM, Organista PB, Marin G, editors. Advances in theory, measurement and applied research. Washington: American Psychology Association; 2003.
Thomson MD, Hoffman-Goetz L. Defining and measuring acculturation: a systematic review of public health studies with Hispanic populations in the United States. Soc Sci Med. 2009;69:983–91.
Gao XL, McGrath. A review on the oral health impacts of acculturation. J Immigr Minor Health. 2011;13:202–13.
Calvasina PG. Examining the oral health, access to dental care and transnational dental care utilization of adult immigrants: analysis of the longitudinal survey of immigrants to Canada (2001–2005) (Doctoral dissertation).
Hunt LM, Schneider S, Comer B. Should “acculturation” be a variable in health research? A critical review of research on US Hispanics. Soc Science Med. 2004;59:973–86.
Calvasina P, Muntaner C, Quiñonez C. The deterioration of Canadian immigrants’ oral health: analysis of the Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada. Commun Dent Oral Epidemiol. 2015;43(5):424–432.
Horton SB, Baker JC. A Latino oral health paradox? Using ethnography to specify the biocultural factors behind epidemiological model. NAPA Bull. 2010;34:68–83.
Solar O, Irwin A. A conceptual framework for action on the social determinants of health. Social Determinants of Health Discussion Paper 2 (Policy and Practice), 2010.
Calvasina P, Muntaner C, Quiñonez C. Factors associated with unmet dental care needs in Canadian immigrants: an analysis of the longitudinal survey of immigrants to Canada. BMC Oral Health. 2014;14(1):145.
Castañeda H, Holmes SM, Madrigal DS, Young MED, Beyeler N, Quesada J. Immigration as a social determinant of health. Annu Rev Public Health. 2015;36:375–92.
Sabbah W, Tsakos G, Chandola T, Sheiham A, Watt RG. Social gradients in oral and general health. J Dent Res. 2007;86(10):992–6.
Acknowledgements
The funding was provided by Population Health Improvement Research Network (PHIRN) of the Applied Health Research Network Initiative (AHRNI) of the Government of Ontario.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors have no conflict of interest to declare.
Ethical Approval
This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Calvasina, P., Gastaldo, D., Quiñonez, C. et al. Developing a Research Agenda on the Political Economy of Immigrants’ Oral Health. J Immigrant Minority Health 20, 759–761 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-017-0666-5
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-017-0666-5