Objectives Refugees encounter several health disparities including oral health problems.This study evaluated the self-reported oral health status, practices, and access to care of adult refugees living in San Antonio, Texas, United States. Materials and Methods Adult refugees (n = 207) who accessed services from two centers in San Antonio, completed this survey. Multivariate logistic regression was used to examine the relationship of the refugees’ demographics with oral health status, practices, and access to care. Results Oral pain in the previous 12 months was common among refugees having been reported by almost 58.9% of the survey participants; 43% reported pain as the reason for their last dental visit. Approximately half of the participants reported both the condition to their teeth and gums as being good: 42.5 and 54.6%, respectively. Most participants (84%) reported brushing their teeth one or two times a day, and around 78% reported they never smoked. Fifty-two percent reported needing dental care in the past 12 months, but not being able to receive it; while 45.9% reported not having dental insurance, 41.5% reported not having money to pay a dentist. Fifteen percent reported never visiting a dentist. Arabic speakers, moving to the United States more recently, and lower level of education were associated with a poor oral health status and practices (p < 0.05). Conclusion Refugees in this study encountered limited access to dental care. Their inability to seek dental care could affect their oral and general health, weaken efforts of preventing oral health diseases, and restrict their full inclusion into the community.

Objective This study was designed to evaluate the relationship of age, gender, ethnicity and salivary flow rates on dental caries in an adult population using data collected from the Oral Health San Antonio Longitudinal Study of Aging (OH:SALSA). Background Saliva is essential to maintain a healthy oral environment and diminished output can result in dental caries. Although gender and age play a role in the quantity of saliva, little is known about the interaction of age, gender and ethnicity on dental caries and salivary flow rates. Materials and Methods Data from the 1,147 participants in the OH: SALSA was analyzed. The dependent variables were the number of teeth with untreated coronal caries, number of teeth with root caries, and the number of coronal and root surfaces with untreated caries. The independent variables were stimulated and unstimulated glandular salivary flow rates along with the age, sex, and ethnicity (e.g. European or Mexican ancestry) of the participants. Results Coronal caries experience was greater in younger participants while root surface caries experience was greater in the older participants. Coronal caries was lower in the older age groups while the root caries experience increased. Men had a statistically significant (p<0.02) higher experience of root caries than women. Values for unstimulated and stimulated parotid salivary flow rates showed no age difference and remained constant with age, whereas the age differences in the unstimulated and stimulated submandibular/sublingual salivary flow rates were significant. The mean number of teeth with coronal and root caries was higher in Mexican-Americans than in European-Americans. Conclusions Over one-fourth of the adults between the ages of 60 and 79 have untreated root caries over one-third having untreated coronal caries. Lower salivary flow rates play a significant role in the both the number of teeth and the number of surfaces developing caries in these adults. Women and individuals of European-American ancestry experience less caries.

A mother's cultural beliefs can affect her infant's health, but the influence of acculturation of Mexican-American women on their young children's oral health is unknown. The authors hypothesized that maternal acculturation impacts very young children's oral health practices favoring, in particular, the mothers who are more Anglo-oriented. A convenience sample of 204 predominantly Mexican-American women attending the Women, Infants, and Children Clinic in San Antonio, Texas, completed the Knowledge, Attitudes, Beliefs, Social Support, and Self-Efficacy of Oral Health (KASE-OH) and Acculturation Questionnaires. Results indicated that mothers with strong Anglo orientation were more likely educated in the United States, first visited a dentist while in elementary school, and breast-fed their children. Children belonging to Anglo-oriented Mexican-American mothers had stronger oral health practices, were more likely to breast-feed, were exposed to more sugary and acidic drinks, consumed higher levels of candy, had Medicaid coverage, and had stronger supervisions of tooth brushing practices.

Objectives  The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between general health behaviors and oral health behaviors in adults who participated in the interview component of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) of 2015 to 2016. Materials and Methods  This was a cross-sectional study design of a national data set that included 5,992 adults who represented a sample of civilian, noninstitutionalized US population. Statistical Analysis  Chi-squared test of independence was used to describe the relationship of demographic information with oral health behaviors of participants. Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine the association between general and oral health behaviors. Results  More than half (53.6%) of the participants had seen a dentist in the past 12 months and the main reason for that visit was for a regular checkup, cleaning, or examination. More than one-quarter (28.7%) reported visiting a dentist because something was hurting or bothering them. Most respondents (63.4%) reported being hardly ever or never having been embarrassed by their mouth condition. Age at one’s first sexual encounter, having a new sexual partner, mental health counseling, moderate- intensity sports, and computer use were significantly associated with positive oral health behaviors. Conclusions  For maximum effectiveness, health promotion efforts should target risk behaviors common to both oral and general health.