Risk Factors, Utilization, and Dental Outcomes in the Older-Old. Abstract,Executive Summary and Final Report

摘要

Barriers to dental care for subgroups of older persons are well documented.However, research examining functional health over time in relation to dental service use is limited. The aim of the study is to determine whether functional impairment interferes with dental service use. Data from a health promotion randomized trail of community dwelling adults age 75+ years collected between 1988 and 1993 were analyzed. The study featured in-home assessments at baseline, 12-, 24-, and 36-months. At baseline, 331 subjects were, on average, 80.9 years of age (SD 3.9), 96.9% were white, 69.8% were female, 78.2% were high school graduates, and 72.8% visited the dentist in the previous year. A baseline mean Kempen score of 2.50 (SD 1.9) suggested a relatively health older sample. A series of discrete-time hazards models was used to weight the effects of functional status, socioeconomic characteristics and physical and dental health use. Functional impairment was associated with a decrease likelihood of a dental visit. Subjects were also less likely to visit the dentist if they reported their general health as fair or poor, if they were edentulous, or if they did not visit the dentist in the years prior to baseline.