Oral Health Care Receipt and Self-Rated Oral Health for Diverse Asian American Subgroups in New York City

摘要

Objectives. To identify determinants of receipt of annual oral health examinations and self-rated oral health among diverse Asian American subgroups. Methods. We used data from the Community Health Resources and Needs Assessment, a community-based survey of Asian American immigrant adults conducted in the New York City metropolitan region from 2013 to 2016 (n?=?1288). We used multivariable logistic regression models to assess determinants of oral health care receipt and self-rated oral health. Results. Failure to receive an annual oral health examination was common in this sample (41.5%) and was more frequent for participants who were younger and male and those who had poorer English fluency and lower educational attainment. Not having dental insurance versus having private dental insurance resulted in 2 to 3 times the odds of nonreceipt of oral health care and poor self-rated oral health. Conclusions. Nonreceipt of annual oral health examinations and poor self-rated oral health were common across Asian American subgroups. Facilitating dental insurance sign-up and providing in-language services may improve oral health care access and ultimately oral health among Asian American immigrants. Asian Americans are the fastest growing immigrant group in the United States. 1 Yet, evidence-based programs and policies to promote health are not possible, because they often are not represented in research. In recent data from New York City, Asian American adults compared with other racial/ethnic groups were most likely to report not having seen a dentist in the past year. 2,3 Similarly, Asian American children were most likely to never have had a dental visit 4 and to have a high prevalence of dental caries. 5 Asian Americans in previous studies have been represented predominantly by Chinese Americans or in aggregate. 2–6 Whether results disaggregated by Asian American subgroup show different findings is unknown. Our objectives were to identify determinants of receipt of annual oral health examinations and self-rated oral health in a diverse sample of Asian Americans.