Clinical Measures and Treatment Needs

Abstract

Clinically evaluated oral health outcome variables from the ICS-II USA data set were examined in the diverse ethnic groups, for two adult age cohorts (35-44 and 65-74 years). These measures were derived from epidemiological examinations and include the DMFT components, loss of attachment, and an indicator of treatment need--the ratio of decayed teeth over decayed and filled teeth. The ratio of decayed over decayed and filled teeth was used in multivariate analysis, since this measure represents an area where public policy could have an impact if determinants were understood. The most important independent variables were race-ethnicity, educational attainment, no fear of dental visits because of pain, and oral hygiene practices. Having a usual source of dental care and visiting the dentist within the past 12 months did not appear to be as important in predicting unmet needs as these other variables. To bridge the gap between the oral health status of majority and minority populations, health educators in minority communities need to become more accessible, have a pro-active interest in oral health, and also be cognizant of the various socio-cultural issues influencing oral health. The problems regarding Native American adults are more complex and require more careful study.

Correlates of partial tooth loss and edentulism in the Brazilian elderly

“…Female gender was another predisposing variable independently associated with edentulism, and the only sociodemographic variable associated with partial tooth loss, confirming previous findings from the literature (33, 35, 36), including a study performed in a representative adult, urban population of south Brazil where female subjects were more likely to have lost teeth than male subjects (23). However, the reasons why female subjects tended to be more likely to have fewer teeth remain to be elucidated (33).…”

Oral Health Policy and Programmatic Implications: Lessons From ICS-II

“…Other measures of evaluated oral health tend to support this finding that the Navajo are relatively better off among ethnic groups aged 35 to 44 years than they are in the 65-to 74-year-old age group, while the reverse is true for Hispanic adults (Marcus et al, 1997). For example, the middle-aged Navajo are ranked second of all racialethnic groups in periodontal status, trailing only the Baltimore White adults, and actually are ranked first with respect to edentulousness, since no Navajo adults (35-44 years old) in the sample were reported to be without any natural teeth.…”

“…We chose D/D+F because it represents at least one important component of evaluated oral health status, and we have found that the rankings according to other measures of evaluated oral health status for elderly ethnic groups are often quite similar (Marcus et al, 1997). Thus, for almost all of the alternative measures mentioned above, the Navajo and Lakota Native Americans rank lower in oral health status and exhibit greater treatment needs.…”

Perceived Oral Health in a Diverse Sample

“…For example, among individuals aged 65 and over, the national adult survey found that over 40% of all seniors were edentulous (Public Heath Service, 1987). Among adults in this study, edentulism was also quite high for the 65-to 74-year-olds (Marcus et al, 1997). Thus, it is interesting to see that, basically, age was not a significant predictor of perceived oral health in two discontinuous age groups.…”