In:
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement, Cambridge University Press (CUP), Vol. 33, No. 2 ( 2014-06), p. 196-207
Abstract:
This study explored how older Punjabi-speaking South-Asian immigrants (four focus groups; 33 participants) in Surrey, British Columbia, perceive oral health and related problems. Content analysis revealed two umbrella themes: (a) interpretations of mouth conditions and (b) challenges to oral health. The umbrella themes had four sub-themes: damage caused by heat ( wai ), disturbances caused by caries, coping with dentures, and quality of life. Three challenges were considered: home remedies, Western dentistry, and difficulties accessing dentists. Participants explained oral diseases in terms of a systemic infection ( resha ), and preferred to decrease imbalances of wai in the mouth with home remedies from India. We conclude that older Punjabi-speaking immigrants interpret oral health and disease in the context of both Western and Ayurvedic traditions, and that they manage dental problems with a mix of traditional remedies supplemented, if possible, by elective oral health care in India, and by emergency dental care in Canada.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
0714-9808
,
1710-1107
DOI:
10.1017/S0714980814000087
Language:
English
Publisher:
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Publication Date:
2014
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2166531-X
Permalink