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- Title
Oral Health Equity and Unmet Dental Care Needs in a Population-Based Sample: Findings From the Survey of the Health of Wisconsin.
- Authors
Malecki, Kristen; Wisk, Lauren E.; Walsh, Matthew; McWilliams, Christine; Eggers, Shoshannah; Olson, Melissa
- Abstract
Objectives. We used objective oral health screening and survey data to explore individual-, psychosocial-, and community-level predictors of oral health status in a statewide population of adults. Methods. We examined oral health status in a sample of 1453 adult Wisconsin residents who participated in the Survey of the Health of Wisconsin Oral Health Screening project, conducted with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services during 2010. Results. We found significant disparities in oral health status across all individual-, psychosocial-, and community-level predictors. More than 15% of participants had untreated cavities, and 20% did not receive needed oral health care. Individuals who self-reported unmet need for dental care were 4 times as likely to have untreated cavities as were those who did not report such a need, after controlling for sociodemographic and behavioral factors. Conclusions. Our results suggested that costs were a primary predictor of access to care and poor oral health status. The results underscored the role that primary care, in conjunction with dental health care providers, could play in promoting oral health care, particularly in reducing barriers (e.g., the costs associated with unmet dental care) and promoting preventive health behaviors (e.g., teeth brushing).
- Subjects
WISCONSIN; UNITED States; ORAL hygiene -- Social aspects; HEALTH surveys; DENTAL care utilization; COST of dental care; HEALTH promotion; DIAGNOSIS of dental caries; EVALUATION of dental services; GOVERNMENT agencies; AGE distribution; CONFIDENCE intervals; DENTISTS; ETHNIC groups; HEALTH services accessibility; HEALTH status indicators; INCOME; MARRIAGE; EVALUATION of medical care; MEDICAL care costs; MEDICAL screening; ORAL hygiene; POVERTY; PREVENTIVE dentistry; PRIMARY health care; PUBLIC health; RACE; SURVEYS; DATA analysis; SOCIOECONOMIC factors; DATA analysis software; ODDS ratio; PSYCHOLOGY
- Publication
American Journal of Public Health, 2015, Vol 105, pS466
- ISSN
0090-0036
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.2105/AJPH.2014.302338