Oral health equity and unmet dental care needs in a population-based sample: Findings from the survey of the health of Wisconsin

K. Malecki, L.E. Wisk, M. Walsh, C. McWilliams, S. Eggers and M. Olson

American Journal of Public Health, 2015, vol. 105, S466-S474

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).

Keywords: adult; dental procedure; female; health; health care delivery; health disparity; health service; health survey; human; male; mass screening; middle aged; United States, Adult; Dental Care; Female; Health Services Accessibility; Health Services Needs and Demand; Health Status Disparities; Health Surveys; Humans; Male; Mass Screening; Middle Aged; Oral Health; Wisconsin (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:10.2105/ajph.2014.302338_6

DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2014.302338

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