Barriers to oral health promotion in the Republic of Ireland

Aims: This paper discusses the evaluation of a multi-sector oral health promotion intervention in the Republic of Ireland for children with disabilities. It argues that a lack of awareness about the context of interventions means that sometimes people's health concerns remain unaddressed through a lack of participation. This may actually increase rather than decrease health inequalities. Implementing qualitative methods to provide a context before proceeding with interventions may assist in providing approaches that are fit for purpose when trying to include people in health promotion. Methods: A purposive sample of 15 parents or carers of children with disabilities and 18 non-dental professionals were interviewed in either focus groups or on a one-to-one basis. Results: The qualitative analysis indicated that budget constraints were affecting joint working because non-dental professionals were overstretched, feeling that they only had the capacity to carry out day-to-day work with parents and children. The daily demands of caring for a child with disabilities for many parents meant that they were tied to a day-to-day existence. Conclusions: The qualitative evaluation suggested that an initial lack of knowledge about structural, procedural, and budgetary barriers, coupled with insight into the daily demands on parents caring for children with disabilities, meant that all parents were not enabled. Therefore, achieving the aims of the plan could not be a total success for all parents and children from the outset.