Self‐reported oral health of a metropolitan homeless population in Australia: comparisons with population‐level data

Abstract

Background: There is limited information on self-perceived oral health of homeless populations. This study quantified selfreported oral health among a metropolitan homeless adult population and compared against a representative sample of the metropolitan adult population obtained from the National Survey of Adult Oral Health. Methods: A total of 248 homeless participants (age range 17-78 years, 79% male) completed a self-report questionnaire. Data for an age-matched, representative sample of metropolitan-dwelling adults were obtained from Australia's second National Survey of Adult Oral Health. Percentage responses and 95% confidence intervals were calculated, with nonoverlapping 95% confidence intervals used to identify statistically significant differences between the two groups. Results: Homeless adults reported poorer oral health than their age-matched general population counterparts. Twice as many homeless adults reported visiting a dentist more than a year ago and that their usual reason for dental attendance was for a dental problem. The proportion of homeless adults with a perceived need for fillings or extractions was also twice that of their age-matched general population counterparts. Three times as many homeless adults rated their oral health as 'fair' or 'poor'. Conclusions: A significantly greater proportion of homeless adults in an Australian metropolitan location reported poorer oral health compared with the general metropolitan adult population.

Oral health impacts and quality of life in an urban homeless population

“…Tobacco smoking rates of the sample, i.e. current daily smoking being almost ubiquitous, were comparable with rates reported for other homeless groups . It is similarly prevalent when compared with other disadvantaged subpopulations, such as those who are Indigenous or have severe mental illness .…”

“…The health problems of those who are homeless are often unidentified or poorly managed, with individuals experiencing a range of barriers to accessing care . Oral health and perceived oral health have been shown to be significantly poorer for homeless populations . Oral inflammation and pain, poor oral function and embarrassment of the mouth's appearance can have adverse social, psychological and general health impacts …”

Oral health‐related quality of life among an Australian sample of people who inject drugs

“…Table 1 shows that this sample of PWID fared significantly worse on all three OHIP-14 summary indicators than the general Australian population (23). However, IDRS participants had significantly lower scores across all OHIP measures than a population of homeless people in South Australia (17,18). Table 2 shows that a range of variables was associated with "prevalence" at a bivariate level.…”

Exploring the oral health experiences of homeless people: a deconstruction–reconstruction formulation

“…In recent years, Scotland has strengthened its policies aimed at tackling homelessness with oral health as an integral part of the Scottish Government's overarching homelessness policy. In 2005 and later in 2010 , the Scottish Government stated that health boards were to develop and implement oral healthcare programmes for those experiencing homelessness, as like those elsewhere, homeless people in Scotland had a high prevalence of carious and missing teeth, periodontal disease and unmet dental treatment need . This increased prevalence was associated with reduced accessibility and an apparent dependency upon emergency rather than routine dental services .…”

“…elsewhere, homeless people in Scotland had a high prevalence of carious and missing teeth, periodontal disease and unmet dental treatment need (8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15). This increased prevalence was associated with reduced accessibility and an apparent dependency upon emergency rather than routine dental services (9,11).…”