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| First authors and years | Study topics | Study methodologies | Conclusions |
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| Kyoon-Achan et al. [15] | Challenges and problems faced by First Nations and Métis parents in meeting the early childhood oral health (ECOH) needs of their children in First Nations and Métis communities in Manitoba | Focus groups and sharing circles were conducted with four First Nations and Métis communities in urban and rural communities in Manitoba | Challenges identified included poor access to dental care, lack of transportation, lack of evidence-based oral health information to support good oral hygiene practices, experiencing poverty and food insecurity resulting in poor nutritional choices and leading to early childhood caries (ECC) |
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| Mehra et al. [16] | Prevalence and factors associated with low dental-care utilization amongst Indigenous peoples in Ontario | Data from the 2014 cycle of the Canadian Community Health Survey was used | Factors identified included being male, a smoker, having fair/poor health, and lack of dental insurance |
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| ElSalhy et al. [17] | Pediatric residents’ perceptions of the feasibility of incorporating preventive dental care into a general pediatric outreach clinic for a First Nations community | Qualitative data was collected through focus groups using a semistructured interview guide | Challenges included that medical providers had limited knowledge on integrating oral health to pediatric care lack of knowledge and difficulty in applying the fluoride varnish, no financial incentive, access to care, no insurance for the patient, lack of accurate and complete records of patients |
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| Shrivastava et al. [18] | Perspectives of patients, primary healthcare providers, and administrators at an indigenous healthcare organization regarding barriers and enablers of relational continuity of oral health care integrated within an indigenous primary healthcare organization | A multiple case study design within a qualitative approach and developmental evaluation methodology | Challenges identified were impermanence and lack of effective communication |
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| Farmer et al. [19] | Dental hygiene perspectives on improving oral health outcomes in vulnerable populations in Canada | A qualitative study comprised of 16 one-on-one interviews conducted with dental hygienists between January and August 2015 | Challenges included scarcity of evidence on interventions and their impact on oral health outcomes, including data availability from scientific research as well as mandatory reporting from institutions; logistical aspects related to the administration, structure, and sustainability (budgetary constraints within government) of programmes |
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| Martin et al. [20] | Oral health perceptions of Inuit peoples and their dental service providers and exploring how differences might pose challenges and opportunities for oral health service delivery in NunatuKavut | Data collection included 18 qualitative focus groups (n = 108) and 13 key informant interviews in 6 communities of NunatuKavut in Southern Labrador | Findings included that (w)holistic conceptualizations of health are essential to good oral health, achieving optimal oral health is prohibitive for Inuit communities, and community-engaged oral health service delivery is needed. |
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| Mathu-Muju et al. [21] | Explore the experiences and opinions of First Nations families whose children had enrolled in the Children’s Oral Health Initiative (COHI) | Interviews, n = 141, were completed in 13 communities. Six open-ended questions guided the interview process. Content analysis was used to code transcripts and identify themes | Findings were that local, community-based oral health prevention program needs to be further integrated into traditional aboriginal holistic models of wellness |
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| Leck et al. [22] | Explores the rise and fall of the dental therapy profession in Canada and the resulting impact on Inuit and First Nations communities in terms of access to basic oral healthcare | A policy analysis was conducted using historical and policy documents | Factors identified included the following: First Nations communities are often small and scattered across Canada, frequently in rural or remote locations; unique cultural perspectives held by Inuit and First Nations people; blended responsibility for healthcare makes addressing equity issues less than straightforward as the division of federal and provincial powers creates a policy legacy that constrains future policy options |
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| Lawrence et al. [5] | (i) Assess whether there were associations between oral health-related outcomes and self-reported racism and (ii) if they existed, whether associations between oral health-related outcomes and self-reported racism persisted after adjusting for significant covariates in our sample. Other objectives of the study were (i) to compare the prevalence of self-reported racism among the three countries collaborating on an early childhood caries preventive trial and (ii) to compare the findings with prevalence estimates reported in First Nations-governed national health surveys in Canada | “Baby Teeth Talk (BTT)” study, a community-based early childhood caries (ECC) randomized controlled trial, which is testing a multipronged behavioral and preventive intervention among 544 pregnant Canadian aboriginal women and their children living in urban and on-reserve communities in the provinces of Ontario and Manitoba | Findings included that one-third of participants experienced racism in the past year determined by the Measure of Indigenous Racism Experience and that racism experienced by aboriginal women can be a barrier to accessing dental-care services |
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| Cidro et al. [23] | Describe how infant feeding practices, including breastfeeding, are a part of the larger maternal Indigenous knowledge transmission process that can aid in promoting healthy infants, including oral health | The Baby Teeth Talk study (BTT): a total of twenty interviews were held and four focus groups. The participants were primarily grandmothers and mostly great grandmothers, some of whom were former and current primary healthcare providers in various capacities, both in traditional health as in the biomedical field | Findings included the importance of understanding that cultural health traditions are essential for those working in oral public health capacities to ensure there is community acceptance of the interventions |
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| Naidu et al. [24] | Explore oral health beliefs and practices and factors related to child oral health promotion in the Algonquin community of Rapid Lake, Quebec | Participants included children, parents, educators, healthcare workers, youth workers, and elders. Semistructured interviews were conducted with key informants. The following two focus group interviews were conducted: one with parents and one with school children | Findings included that a gap existed between oral health knowledge and oral health behaviors; challenges for oral health promotion included attitudes and beliefs, access, and priorities; parents needed to be further integrated into health promotion strategies |
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| Prowse et al. [25] | Examine the knowledge and beliefs of parents and caregivers from four different cultural groups with respect to early childhood oral hygiene (ECOH) and early childhood caries (ECC) | A qualitative study design using focus groups was chosen to explore parent and caregiver views on ECOH and ECC | Challenges identified included uncooperative children, the cost and inability to purchase oral hygiene supplies, lack of time, difficulty in getting their children to see the dentist, previous negative experiences (they had been scared or hurt during previous dental encounters or feared needles), and lack of knowledge about the link between baby bottles at bedtime and dental decay |
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| Blanchard et al. [26] | Analyzing oral health-related symptoms and behaviors, examined associations with other lifestyle factors, and sociodemographic variables to better understand the underlying and proximate determinants of poor oral health in these First Nation and Caucasian communities | First Nation and Caucasian participants completed a questionnaire on sociodemographic variables, oral health symptoms, and oral health-related behaviors as part of a broader cohort study comparing these ethnic groups for different chronic immune-mediated diseases | Findings included that lower levels of education, living rurally, and smoking were all related to poorer oral hygiene habits |
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| Anonymous [27] | N/A | First Nations Oral Health Survey (FNOHS): the survey was released on September 27, 2012 | The finding was that lack of access to regular dental-care results in poor oral health |
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| Mejia et al. [28] | Overview of the oral health inequalities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous child and adult populations in the United States, Canada, Brazil, Australia, and New Zealand | Data from representative surveys were used | Factors identified were historical factors (isolation, discrimination, and alienation); culturally inappropriate oral health service provision, geographic factors, social determinants, and reliable national-level data |
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| Pacey et al. [29] | Provide the prevalence and correlates of parental-reported oral health of Inuit preschoolers, with a focus on dietary and socioeconomic risk factors | Inuit preschool-aged children aged 3 to 5 years from 16 of Nunavut’s 25 communities were randomly selected to participate in the Nunavut Inuit Child Health Survey conducted in 2007 and 2008 | Findings included the likely importance of nutritional health education and better access to nutritious foods for promoting oral health |
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| Leake [4] | Describe the oral health status and determinants among children 2–6 years of age in the Inuvik Region | In 2004–2005, 349 of 541 eligible, mostly preschool, children in the Inuvik Region in the Northwest Territories of Canada were examined clinically, and the parents or caregivers of 315 of these children were interviewed to measure their oral health status, and its impacts and determinants | Four determinants of oral health were protective factors: higher family incomes, community water fluoridation, and drinking milk and drinking fruit juices after the child began to walk |
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| Schroth et al. [30] | Report findings from interviews with primary caregivers on their knowledge and attitudes toward preschool oral health and ECC from 4 communities in the province of Manitoba, Canada, that took part in an epidemiological study of early childhood dental health | Participation was restricted to those younger than 72 months of age. Children and their primary caregivers who participated in an institutional review board (IRB)-approved study of the prevalence of ECC in 4 Manitoba communities served as the sample for this report | Findings included that caregivers who believed that baby teeth are important were more likely to have children with better oral health (i.e., less decay) than those who thought otherwise, but also caregivers of children with ECC were more likely to disagree that dental decay could affect a child’s overall health |
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