The Impact of Dental Insurance and Medical Insurance on Dental Care Utilization During Pregnancy

Maternal and Child Health Journal - To measure the association between dental and medical insurance with the receipt of dental cleaning during pregnancy. We analyzed Pregnancy Risk Assessment...     

Geospatial distribution of periodontists and US adults with severe periodontitis

Background

In this study, the authors report on the geospatial distributions of periodontists and adults with severe periodontitis in the United States.

Untreated caries among US working-aged adults and association with reporting need for oral health care

BackgroundNational data indicate that working-aged adults (20-64 years) are more likely to report financial barriers to receiving needed oral health care relative to other age groups. The aim of this study was to examine the burden of untreated caries (UC) and its association with reporting an unmet oral health care need among working-aged adults.MethodsThe authors used National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data from 2011 through 2016 for 10,286 dentate adults to examine the prevalence of mild to moderate (1-3 affected teeth) and severe (≥ 4 affected teeth) UC. The authors used multivariable logistic regression to identify factors that were associated with reporting an unmet oral health care need.ResultsLow-income adults had mild to moderate UC (26.2%) 2 times more frequently and severe UC (13.2%) 3 times more frequently than higher-income adults. After controlling for covariates, the variables most strongly associated with reporting an unmet oral health care need were UC, low income, fair or poor general health, smoking, and no private health insurance. The model-adjusted prevalence of reporting an unmet oral health care need among low-income adults with mild to moderate and severe UC were 35.7% and 45.1%, respectively.ConclusionsThe burden of UC among low-income adults is high; prevalence was approximately 40% with approximately 3 affected teeth per person on average. Reporting an unmet oral health care need appears to be capturing primarily differences in UC, health, and financial access to oral health care.Practical ImplicationsData on self-reported unmet oral health care need can have utility as a surveillance tool for monitoring UC and targeting resources to decrease UC among low-income adults.     

Dental visits among adult Hispanics--BRFSS 1999 and 2006

Objectives: This study examined and compared utilization of dental services by adult US Hispanics 18 years and older in the years 1999 and 2006. Methods: Dental utilization data collected by telephone interviews by the state‐based Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) were analyzed. Results: In 2006, the state mean and median prevalence of adult Hispanics with dental visits during the past year were 56.2 percent and 62.1 percent, respectively, and had not changed significantly since 1999. In 40 states, utilization was well below the national prevalence of 70.3 percent. Frequency of dental visits was significantly higher among females and those with higher income (>$50,000), higher education, nonsmokers, and persons having medical health insurance. Conclusions: Findings from this study suggest that barriers to utilization of dental services among Hispanic adults exist in most states and may contribute to existing oral health disparities. The magnitude of this problem may increase in the future with the expansion of the US Hispanic population.     

Periodontitis in US Adults: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2009-2014

Background

This report presents weighted average estimates of the prevalence of periodontitis in the adult US population during the 6 years 2009-2014 and highlights key findings of a national periodontitis surveillance project.

Recording and surveillance systems for periodontal diseases

This paper describes tools used to measure periodontal diseases and the integration of these tools into surveillance systems. Tools to measure periodontal diseases at the surveillance level have focussed on current manifestations of disease (e.g. gingival inflammation) or disease sequelae (e.g. periodontal pocket depth or loss of attachment). All tools reviewed in this paper were developed based on the state of the science of the pathophysiology of periodontal disease at the time of their design and the need to provide valid and reliable measurements of the presence and severity of periodontal diseases. Therefore, some of these tools are no longer valid. Others, such as loss of periodontal attachment, are the current de-facto tools but demand many resources to undertake periodical assessment of the periodontal health of populations. Less complex tools such as the Community Periodontal Index, have been used extensively to report periodontal status. Laboratory tests for detecting putative microorganisms or inflammatory agents present in periodontal diseases have been used at the clinical level, and at least one has been tested at the population level. Other approaches, such as self-report measures, are currently under validation. In this paper, we do not review indices designed to measure plaque or residual accumulation around the tooth, indices focussed only on gingival inflammation or radiographic approaches with limited applicability in surveillance systems. Finally, we review current case-definitions proposed for surveillance of periodontal disease severity.     

Peer Reviewed: Acculturation and Dental Visits Among Hispanic Adults

Introduction

Acculturation may strongly influence use of or access to health services among Hispanics in the United States. We assessed the relationships between acculturation and use of oral health services among Hispanic adults in the United States.

Methods

Data were analyzed from Hispanic adults aged 18 years or older who participated in the 2006 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Hispanics were defined by self-report of Spanish or Hispanic heritage. Preference to be interviewed in English or Spanish was used as a proxy for acculturation. Having had a dental visit in the previous 12 months was used as a proxy for use of oral health services.

Results

English-speaking Hispanics were more likely to have had a dental visit in the previous 12 months compared with Spanish-speaking Hispanics (crude odds ratio [OR], 1.52; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.36-1.71). After controlling for potential confounders, language was not significantly associated with having had a dental visit (OR, 1.05; 95% CI, 0.87-1.26; P = .61,). The most significant predictors for having had a dental visit in the previous 12 months were sex, education, income, and having health insurance.

Conclusion

Acculturation assessed by language spoken was not significantly associated with having had a dental visit in the previous 12 months among adult Hispanics in the United States. The common determinants of health care use, such as sex, income, level of education, and health insurance status, were the most significant predictors of use of oral health services among adult Hispanics.