Oral Health Care Utilization Among Older Adults: United States, 1999

Objectives: As the proportion of older Americans increases, understanding the oral health care utilization practices of these adults becomes more important. Methods: This investigation used the Sample Adult Questionnaire component of the 1999 National Health Interview Survey to describe the oral health care utilization practices of adults aged 45 years or older. Dependent variables included report of a dental visit in the last year, main reason for last dental visit, and reasons for no dental visit in the last year. Independent variables included age, gender, race/ethnicity, geographic region, poverty status, dentition status, and presence of private dental insurance. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression estimates were derived using full sample weights and adjustment for the survey's complex sampling design. Results: Controlling for other variables, the likelihood of a reported dental visit for dentate versus edentulous adults was higher (adjusted OR=11.1) among those aged 65 years or older than it was (adjusted OR=6.1) among those aged 45-64 years. The two most common reasons for last dental visit among dentate adults (any age) and edentulous adults aged 65 years or older were, in descending order, "check-up/cleaning" and "symptoms." Among edentulous adults aged 45-64 years, the order of these two reasons was reversed. The two most common reasons for no dental visit in the last year among dentate adults were "no dental problems" and "excessive cost." The two most common reasons among edentulous adults were "no teeth" and "no dental problems." Conclusions: Oral health care utilization and the reasons for visiting and not visiting the dentist depend on age and dentition status among adults aged 45 years or older. Practitioners and policy makers should keep these associations in mind when designing programs that address the needs of older Americans. E-mail: mdm002@dental.umaryland.edu.