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Health Education Research, Vol. 14, No. 4, 453-460, August 1999
© 1999 Oxford University Press

An exploration of oral health beliefs and attitudes of Chinese in West Yorkshire: a qualitative investigation

Stella Y. L. Kwan and Michael A. M. Holmes1

Oral Health and Ethnicity Unit, Leeds Dental Institute, Clarendon Way, Leeds LS2 9LU and
1 School of Health, University of Teesside, Middlesbrough TS1 3BA, UK

This qualitative study explores oral health beliefs and attitudes among Chinese resident in West Yorkshire using six focus groups differentiated by age and gender. Focus group discussions took place in community settings led by trained Chinese facilitators. All groups believed that they were susceptible to dental disease, and that bleeding gums and total tooth loss were `normal'; apart from the elderly, tooth loss was seen as undesirable. The elderly and adult groups believed in traditional remedies and claimed that preventive oral health measures were ineffective. These groups lacked faith in dentists, and for them cost, language difficulties and lack of awareness were the main reported barriers to accessing dental services. Traditional Chinese oral health beliefs remain influential for the elderly and adult UK Chinese. In contrast, teenagers thought that toothbrushing and sugar restriction would help to prevent dental diseases. The appropriateness of the focus group and interview methods for exploring oral health beliefs for the Chinese are discussed, as are implications of the reported intergenerational differences for oral health promotion strategy in the UK.


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