Toothache Pain: Sources of Care and Self-Remedies

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Broad Objective: To develop and pilot test a survey instrument and associated methodology that will assist pain researchers to describe the impact of toothache pain on the quality of life and activities of daily living of low-income minority adults and identify the nature and determinants of pain-related care/relief-seeking behaviors, including self-care. Rationale: Pain from toothaches represents a significant public health problem. The poor and minorities who lack access to private dental services may use a number of alternative sources for care, including physicians and hospital emergency departments, or alternatively involve pharmacists, lay healers, or other non- traditional settings and providers, as well as use self-care strategies for pain relief. Our knowledge of these non-traditional alternatives is limited. Specific Aims: 1: to develop a structured data collection instrument capable of capturing culturally specific data pertaining to toothache- pain and pain-related behavioral impact, and pain-related care/relief-seeking behaviors, including self-care strategies for low-income White, African-American, and Hispanic adults: 2: To develop a telephone survey methodology to efficiently and effectively identify, contact, recruit, and interview low-income White, African American, and Hispanic adults regarding these issues from which statistically valid estimates can be made; and 3: To establish the reliability and validity of the survey instrument and methodology by conducting a pilot telephone survey of the target population using the developed instrument and associated methodology. Research Design: Focus groups will be utilized to gain a better understanding of how poor Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics perceive toothache pain, how the pain affects their daily lives, and the approaches used to seek pain relief. These data will be used to develop a structured telephone survey instrument. The instrument will be pretested on poor White, Black, Hispanic subjects (both individuals who sought relief from dentists and those who did not) who have experienced toothache pain during the preceding six months.