Oral Health, Health Service Utilization, and Age at Arrival to the U.S. among Safety Net Patients

Sarah E. Raskin, R. Rasnick, Tatiana Kohlmann, Martin Zanin, Julie Bilodeau and Aderonke Akinkugbe
Additional contact information
Sarah E. Raskin: L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs, Virginia Commonwealth University, 1001 W. Franklin St., Richmond, VA 23284, USA
R. Rasnick: Department of Biostatistics, VCU School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, 830 East Main Street, Richmond, VA 23219, USA
Tatiana Kohlmann: Department of Health Behavior & Policy, VCU School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, 830 East Main Street, Richmond, VA 23219, USA
Martin Zanin: CrossOver Healthcare Ministry, 8600 Quioccasin Rd., Richmond, VA 23229, USA
Julie Bilodeau: CrossOver Healthcare Ministry, 8600 Quioccasin Rd., Richmond, VA 23229, USA
Aderonke Akinkugbe: VCU Institute for Inclusion, Inquiry and Innovation (iCubed) Oral Health Core, Virginia Commonwealth University, 912 West Grace St., Richmond, VA 23284, USA

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 3, 1-15

Abstract: Background: Immigrants’ oral health disparities have not been adequately investigated using a lifecourse approach, which investigates the cumulative effects of risk and protective exposures among other considerations. Methods: We examined self-reported oral health outcomes and health care appointment outcomes among a sample of patients enrolled at a federally qualified health center in Richmond Virginia (N = 327) who were categorized into three groups by approximate age at arrival to the U.S. Results: Study participants who arrived to the U.S. prior to age 18 had better retention of natural dentition, better oral health related quality of life, and a lower proportion of dental appointments to address pain than those who arrived after age 18 or were born in the U.S. Conclusions: Im/migrants’ differentiated oral health outcomes by age at arrival to the U.S. suggest the relevance of lifecourse factors, for example the cumulative effects of risk and protective exposures, and confirm the merits of lifecourse studies of im/migrants’ oral health.

Keywords: lifecourse; immigration; migration; oral health; dental care; health service utilization; health care safety net; oral health related quality of life (OHRQoL) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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