Kumm, Chantelle2026-10-142026-10-142026https://hdl.handle.net/10566/25598Cultural Competence of Oral Hygienists in South Africa Background: Cultural competence is a critical component of equitable and effective healthcare delivery, particularly in culturally diverse societies. In South Africa, oral hygienists routinely provide preventive and educational care to patients from a wide range of cultural, linguistic, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Given the preventive and communication-intensive nature of oral hygiene practice, culturally responsive care is central to patient engagement and oral health outcomes. Despite this, limited empirical evidence exists examining the perceived cultural competence of oral hygienists in South Africa. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the perceived cultural competence of oral hygienists in South Africa and to identify factors influencing their cultural competence. Methods: A cross-sectional quantitative study design with an open-ended qualitative component was used. A self-administered online questionnaire, informed by the Campinha-Bacote Model of Cultural Competence and the Purnell Model for Cultural Competence, was distributed to registered oral hygienists across South Africa. A total of 85 completed questionnaires were included in the final analysis. Descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression were used to analyse the quantitative data, and thematic analysis was applied to open-ended responses.Results: Across the five Campinha-Bacote constructs, cultural encounters recorded the highest mean score (M = 4.48, SD = 0.75), followed by cultural awareness (M = 4.31, SD = 0.51), cultural skill (M = 4.08, SD = 0.56), and cultural knowledge (M = 3.68, SD = 0.56). Cultural desire recorded the lowest mean score (M = 3.03, SD = 0.61). Among the Purnell-informed domains, family roles and organisation scored highest (M = 4.33), followed by healthcare practices and beliefs (M = 4.17), communication (M = 4.14), language and interpreter use (M = 4.01), and workforce issues and professional context (M = 3.80). Multiple regression analysis showed that demographic variables were not significant predictors of overall cultural 4 https://uwcscholar.uwc.ac.za/home 5competence. Gender was a significant individual predictor of cultural awareness (B = −0.432, p = 0.019) although the overall model was not statistically significant. Communication (p < 0.05) and healthcare practices and beliefs (p < 0.001) were significant predictors of overall cultural competence (R² = 69.2%). The qualitative findings reflected a pattern of respect, practical communication adaptation, and patient-centred care, alongside limited evidence of deliberate, structured cultural inquiry. Active knowledge-seeking behaviours, including gathering cultural information during assessment and adapting oral health assessments to patients’ cultural backgrounds, were among the lowest-scoring items.enCultural CompetenceCompetencyOral HygienistOral HealthSouth AfricaThesis