IADR Abstract Archives

Racial/ethnic Differences in Tooth Loss among Americans Aged 50+

Objectives: While there is an increasing literature on oral health status among non-Hispanic white, Black and Hispanics, very limited studies are conducted among Asians and Native Americans on the national scale. To address this gap, we examined racial and ethnic variations in the number of self-reported missing teeth among adults aged 50 and over in the U.S.

Methods: We analyzed five waves of data spanning from 1999-2008 from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). The sample included 8,808 American Indians/Alaska Natives (AIAN), 10,043 Asians, 35,371 Hispanics, 51,744 Blacks, and 640,063 Whites. Tooth loss was measured by number of natural teeth lost due to tooth decay or gum disease.

Results: Controlling for socioeconomic status, health behaviors, and chronic diseases, results from multinomial logistic regression analysis showed that compared to Whites, blacks (OR=2.07, 95% CI: 1.75, 2.46) and AIANs (OR = 1.61, CI: 1.07, 2.44) were more likely to have lost 6 or more teeth. No significant differences were found for Asians and Hispanics, relative to white Americans. Older age, lower level of education and income, smoking, overweight, and having chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension were also associated with number of teeth missing in older adults.

Conclusions: This is the first study to provide national estimates for tooth loss for five major ethnic groups in the U.S. simultaneously: Native Americans, Asian Americans, African Americans, Hispanics, and non-Hispanic Caucasians. Significant disparities in tooth loss exist across these ethnic groups. Innovative public health programs and services are essential to prevent oral health diseases and conditions for minority populations who are lack of access to adequate dental care. This study is funded by NIH/NIDCR 1R01DE019110.


AADR Fall Focused Symposium
2011 AADR Fall Focused Symposium (Washington, D.C.)
Washington, D.C.
2011
12
Poster Presentations
  • Wu, Bei  ( Duke University, Durham, NC, USA )
  • Furter, Robert  ( University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA )
  • Plassman, Brenda  ( Duke University, Durham, NC, USA )
  • Liang, Jersey  ( University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA )
    • Poster Session
    Oral Health Disparities Research - Elderly
    11/03/2011