Sikhs in Minnesota: Dental Care Access, Ethnicity, and Acculturation.

To explore the dental care experiences of one of Minnesota's ethnic communities, the authors conducted pilot study among members of Sikh temple. The Sikhs, a religious group from the Punjab region of India, number roughly 1,500-2,000 individuals in the Twin Cities. Forty-seven adults from the Bloomington, Minnesot temple completed the survey, which was administered during interviews with one of the authors, himself a Sikh. Respondents, who ranged in age from 29 to 92, have been in the United States for an average of 16 years, and had educational backgrounds ranging from undergraduate, Masters, to doctoral degrees. Their self-reported oral health is deemed good. They regularly seek dental care, including preventive services. Their experiences with dental practices have largely been positive, and they have found little discrimination when encountering dental office staff members. Some degree of communication issues was reported by 25% of respondents. Roughly half of the persons surveyed seek care in private practices, but a surprisingly high percentage (13%) visit the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry clinics. Most respondents were comfortable discussing their culture and religion with dental office staff members, and they seemed to hold a positive view of Minnesota's dental profession. Sikh weddings are always full of rituals, traditions, and celebrations. The wedding usually takes place in the morning and is held in front of the Sikh holy book Shri Guru Granth Sahib. A bride may traditionally be dressed in red, as the color red symbolizes love and commitment in Indian culture. The groom wears a colored turban and scarf and carries a kirpan, a ceremonial sword a dagger. The priest leading this ceremony explains the Sikh philosophy of marriage. Family members, relatives, and friends gather to congratulate and bless the new couple, and the whole wedding can last three to four days, made up of a number of rituals.

Dental hygiene workforce issues: a Minnesota study.

PURPOSE: This study was designed to explore the prevalence and reasons for withdrawal from the dental hygiene workforce. The study also assessed the reasons for maintaining an active license after withdrawal, and the factors that might entice an individual to return to the dental hygiene workforce. METHODS: A random sample was selected of dental hygienists licensed in Minnesota from the November 2003 State Board of Dentistry's dental hygiene licensing file. Data was collected from a mailed questionnaire containing 45 open-ended and close-ended questions. The final sample included 2672 dental hygienists actively licensed and residing in Minnesota. One thousand four hundred and twenty responded to the survey, for a response rate of 53%. From that sample, 129 participants indicated that they were licensed to practice in Minnesota but were not currently working (had withdrawn from the workforce). This study focuses on the responses of those 129 individuals. RESULTS: The prevalence of withdrawal was 9%, with the majority of the participants indicating that they did not plan to return to the dental hygiene workforce. The primary reason for withdrawal was child-rearing responsibilities, followed by health-related reasons, and pursuing a different career. A key difference between those who were active participants in the workforce and those who had withdrawn was related to income. The results of this study found that financial difficulties, death/disability of a spouse, and having older children were the primary factors that would entice a respondent to return as an active participant to the dental hygiene workforce. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that dental hygiene workforce issues are of great complexity and are multifactorial in nature. The findings tend to confirm the results of previous work. It can be concluded that because of the nature of the work and the demands of the profession, it is likely that movement in and out of the dental hygiene workforce will continue to be an issue in the profession.