Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015 Spring;75(2):85-92.
doi: 10.1111/jphd.12072. Epub 2014 Sep 18.

Socioeconomic and racial/ethnic oral health disparities among US older adults: oral health quality of life and dentition

Deborah L Huang  1 , Mijung Park  2
Affiliations

Socioeconomic and racial/ethnic oral health disparities among US older adults: oral health quality of life and dentition

Deborah L Huang et al. J Public Health Dent. 2015 Spring.

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to examine if older adults living in poverty and from minority racial/ethnic groups experienced disproportionately high rates of poor oral health outcomes measured by oral health quality of life (OHQOL) and number of permanent teeth.

Methods: Cross-sectional analysis of 2,745 community-dwelling adults aged ≥65 years from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2005-2008. Oral health outcomes were assessed by questionnaire using the NHANES-Oral Health Impact Profile for OHQOL and standardized examination for dentition. Logistic and linear regression analyses were used to determine the association between oral health outcomes and predictors of interest. All analyses were weighted to account for complex survey sampling methods.

Results: Both poverty and minority race/ethnicity were significantly associated with poor oral health outcomes in OHQOL and number of permanent teeth. Distribution of scores for each OHQOL domain varied by minority racial/ethnic group.

Conclusions: Oral health disparities persist in older adults living in poverty and among those from minority racial/ethnic groups. The racial/ethnic variation in OHQOL domains should be further examined to develop interventions to improve the oral health of these groups.

Keywords: NHANES; health status disparities; older adults; oral health; quality of life; tooth loss.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: Dr. Huang reports no conflict of interest. Dr. Park reports no conflict of interest.

Comment in

References

    1. Griffin SO, Jones JA, Brunson D, Griffin PM, Bailey WD. Burden of oral disease among older adults and implications for public health priorities. Am J Public Health. 2012;102(3):411–418. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Dye BA, Tan S, Smith V, Lewis BG, Barker LK, Thornton-Evans G, et al. Trends in oral health status: United States, 1988–1994 and 1999–2004. Vital Health Stat. 2007;11(248):1–92. - PubMed
    1. Wu B, Liang J, Plassman BL, Remle C, Bai L. Oral health among white, black, and Mexican-American elders: an examination of edentulism and dental caries. J Public Health Dent. 2011;71(4):308–317. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Cunha-Cruz J, Hujoel PP, Nadanovsky P. Secular trends in socio-economic disparities in edentulism: USA, 1972–2001. J Dent Res. 2007;86(2):131–136. - PubMed
    1. Wu B, Plassman BL, Liang J, Remle RC, Bai L, Crout RJ. Differences in self-reported oral health among community-dwelling black, Hispanic, and white elders. J Aging Health. 2011;23(2):267–288. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types