ArticleBMC oral health2026
From ambivalence to agency: parents' conceptions of a theory-based behavioural intervention to prevent dental caries in their preschool children - a qualitative study.
Article in BMC oral health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundDental caries remains one of the most prevalent chronic conditions in preschool children and disproportionately affects families in socioeconomically vulnerable contexts, despite publicly funded preventive dental care. In Region Västra Götaland, Sweden, a theory-based behavioural intervention delivered by health promoters was introduced to support families of children at elevated caries risk. The aim of this study was to describe the different ways in which parents conceive a health-promoter-led, theory-based behavioural intervention to prevent dental caries in their preschool-aged children.
methodsA qualitative study using individual, semi-structured interviews were conducted in ten public dental clinics in Region Västra Götaland, Sweden (March 2023–July 2024). Interviews were analysed using phenomenographic analysis to capture variation in parental conceptions. Ten parents (eight women, two men) of three-to-six-year-old children at elevated caries risk completed two or more counselling sessions with university-trained health promoters. Interviews (30–60 min) were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed inductively to capture variation in parental perceptions. Flexible delivery (digital/in-clinic) and interpreter support were made available.
resultsThree themes were identified: (1) an invitation met by ambivalence and fear of judgement, (2) empowered alliance through personalised support and (3) active choices through parental agency. These themes coalesced into the overarching theme ‘from ambivalence to agency: embracing health-promoting behaviour’.
conclusionsParents conceived the health-promoter-led, theory-based behavioural intervention as non-judgemental, culturally responsive and practically useful. By fostering relational safety and providing actionable tools, the intervention appeared to strengthen parental self-efficacy and catalyse family-level behavioural change. This shift, while modest in scale, may represent a necessary step towards equitable and sustainable oral-health promotion.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.