Predictors of dental care use, unmet dental care need, and barriers to unmet need among women: results from NHANES, 2011 to 2016

Abstract

Objectives To examine socio‐demographic and economic predictors of dental care access among women in the United States. Methods A total of 52,493,940 women at the US national level aged 20‐44 years were identified from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2011 to 2016. Weighted multivariate logistic regression models were computed to identify predictors of dental care use, unmet dental‐care need, and reported reasons for unmet need. Results Young, Mexican‐American, other minority race‐ethnicities, less educated, and uninsured women were independently more likely to have never visited a dental clinic (P < 0.025). Mexican‐Americanwomen with a poverty income ratio (PIR) <2.00 and less than excellent health status and those uninsured were independently more likely to have unmet dental need (P < 0.025). Women with PIR <1.00 and those uninsured were independently more likely to have an unmet need because of unaffordable cost (P < 0.0008) or lack of procedure coverage by insurance (P < 0.0008). Younger women were more likely to think that the dental problem would go away (P < 0.0001). Conclusions While young, less educated, and women from minority race‐ethnicities were less likely to report ever use of dental care, only low income, poor health, and uninsured women were more likely to report unmet dental care need. Racial‐ethnic minority, less educated, and young women may benefit from improved education about the value of dental care. Expanding insurance coverage for dental care and improving access for women with poor health may address racial‐ethnic and education‐level disparities in unmet dental care need.

Barriers and facilitators to dental care among culturally and linguistically diverse carers: A mixed‐methods systematic review

“…Our findings echoed previous studies, under the themes of affordability 8,54,55 and structural and system determinants 56 . The social gradient in dental healthcare has been widely reported, whereby the places in which migrants live, work and grow impacts health 56 .…”

Unmet dental care need in West of Iran: determinants and inequality

“…In a study in the USA, not visiting the dentist was significantly associated with one's economic status, with the poorest individuals being about twice as likely to not visit the dentist (Kailembo et al, 2018). In another national study in the USA, not having insurance was one of the effective factors on unmet dental needs (Gupta et al, 2019).…”

Associations of socioeconomic and health factors with dental non‐attendance: A comparison of three cohorts of women

“…Factors such as income and education level influence the uptake of private health insurance and those without insurance are less likely to access dental care. [5][6][7][8][9] Obesity, smoking and high alcohol consumption contribute to poor oral health are more prevalent in those with low income and education levels and have been associated with a higher likelihood of dental nonattendance. 4,[9][10][11][12] Reasons for non-attendance may be multi-faceted and may differ across the factors but potentially include access difficulties (e.g.…”

“…Private ancillary health insurance may partly cover the costs of dental treatment; however, there is considerable variation between policies in the types of services covered and the level of reimbursement provided. Factors such as income and education level influence the uptake of private health insurance and those without insurance are less likely to access dental care 5–9 …”

“…Factors such as income and education level influence the uptake of private health insurance and those without insurance are less likely to access dental care. 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 …”