Social gradient in the cost of oral pain and related dental service utilisation among South African adults

Factors associated with oral pain and oral health-related productivity loss in the USA, National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES), 2015-2018

Background

Our aim was to identify clinical and sociodemographic factors associated with oral pain and oral health-related productivity loss among US adults.

Methods

We included adults aged ≥30 years who completed the dental examination, had at least one natural tooth, and provided an answer about their oral pain experience or oral health-related productivity loss in the 2015–2018 National Health and Nutrition and Examination Survey (NHANES). We performed descriptive analyses and multivariable binary logistic regression analyses on weighted data.

Results

One out of four adults had oral pain and 4% reported oral health-related productivity loss occasionally or often within the last year of the survey. The odds of oral pain were higher among non-Hispanic black (OR = 1.35; 95%CI = 1.08–1.62) and non-Hispanic Asian individuals (OR = 1.38; 95%CI = 1.07–1.78) compared to non-Hispanic white individuals, and individuals with untreated dental caries (OR = 2.06; 95%CI = 1.72–2.47). The odds for oral health-related productivity loss were 13.85 times higher among individuals who reported oral pain (95%CI = 8.07–23.77), and 2.18 times higher among individuals with untreated dental caries (95%CI = 1.65–2.89). The odds of oral pain and reported oral health-related productivity loss decreased as family income increased.

Conclusions

Factors including non-Hispanic black race/ethnicity, lower socio-economic status, and untreated dental caries are associated with oral pain experience, which increases the odds of oral health-related productivity losses. Identifying factors associated with oral pain and productivity loss will enable clinicians, policymakers, and employers to proactively target and prioritize the higher-risk groups in early interventions and policies.

Socioeconomic gradients in toothache experience among Australian adults: A time trend analysis from 1994 to 2013

OBJECTIVES

To identify time trend pattern in toothache and to estimate whether toothache prevalence differs by socioeconomic position and residential location over time.

METHODS

Data from nine successive National Dental Telephone Interview Surveys (NDTIS) from 1994 (n = 6907) to 2013 (n = 6778) performed in Australia among individuals aged 15 years or over were used. The dependent variable was toothache reported very often, often or sometimes during the previous 12 months. Independent variables were age group, household income (tertiles), insurance/cardholder status and geographical remoteness. Prais-Winsten analyses were performed, and the average annual percentage change (AAPC) for toothache prevalence was estimated.

RESULTS

Toothache affected slightly more than 10% of the overall population in 1994 (11.6%) and 1995 (11.4%), reaching approximately one-sixth (16.2%) of individuals in 2013. Overall, there was a significant increase in toothache prevalence over time (AAPC = 2.0% [95% CI 0.7;1.34]) and in those aged 25-44 (AAPC 2.1% [95% CI 0.6;3.6]) and 45-64 (AAPC 3.4% [95% CI 1.5;5.3]) years and markedly among those in the lowest income group (AAPC 3.4% [95% CI 0.1;6.7]). All geographic locations except for remote/very remote areas had upward toothache prevalence over time. Insured status was not associated with increased toothache prevalence during the investigated period.

CONCLUSIONS

Toothache prevalence increased from 1994 to 2013 in Australian adults particularly among the lowest socioeconomic group.

Association between untreated carious lesions and asthma in adults at Rabat University Hospital, Morocco: a cross sectional study

Background

Depending on risk factors, cumulative risk of developing more dental caries by age has been reported. However, the association between dental caries and asthma is less studied among adults. The aims of this study were to evaluate the severity of untreated carious lesions in a population of asthmatic adults and to evaluate the mediation of socio-economic and oral health behaviour variables.

Methods

The study involved participants with diagnosed asthma (N = 100) and control (N = 100) subjects attending a tertiary hospital. Groups were matched by age and gender. Asthma was the exposure of interest. The outcome measure was the rate of carious lesions. Recorded variables included demographics, socio-economic status, tooth brushing habits and oral health status using WHO criteria. Poisson regression analysis examined the association between asthma and untreated dental caries.

Results

The adjusted model, after the inclusion of individuals’ behaviours regarding oral health, social determinants and asthma, revealed a significant association between the number of untreated carious lesions and asthma (PR = 1.23; 95% CI 1.23–1.58; p < 0.001).

Conclusion

Patients with asthma showed a greater number of untreated carious lesions. Looking forward, better understanding of the association between asthma and oral health may require exploiting the interactions of behavioural, social determinant and biological factors.

Factors influencing Patients' Utilization of Dental Health Services in Jazan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Introduction

One way of prevention and early detection of oral diseases is by utilizing the dental health care services on a regular basis. The current study aims to know the factors that play a role in influencing the dental service utilization in Jazan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Materials and methods

A cross-sectional survey using a self-administered questionnaire was designed and implemented. Study subjects comprised of patients visiting the dental clinics at Jazan University and the primary dental centers of five different suburbs in Jazan region of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Items in the questionnaire were grouped into three sections; “demographic details,” “self-reported dental visits,” and “potential factors” contributing to dental visits. Chi-square p-value of 0.05 or less was considered as significant and logistic regression with 95% confidence interval (CI) was performed to get more precise results.

Results

The sample size was 395 (N) of which 44.8% were males and 53.4% were females. Less than half (45.8%) of the studied sample reported that their last visit to a dentist was within a span of one year and 33% of them think that a dentist should only be visited if they experience pain. Patients following instructions given by a dentist were 7 times [odds ratio (OR) = 0.13; CI = 0.04, 0.40] less likely to miss their regular dental appointments. Following this, patients receiving knowledge on their dental problems were seen to be twice (OR = 0.50; CI = 0.25, 0.98) less likely to be irregular with their dental visits. Finally, the patients who are better educated and literate were also 2 times (OR = 2.21; CI = 1.14, 4.28) more likely to be regular with their dental appointments in comparison with the patients who completed just their primary level education.

Conclusion

Findings of this study will facilitate future oral health prevention programs to be more focused, thereby reducing the gap between high and low educated sectors of the population residing in Jazan.

How to cite this article: Quadri FA, Jafari FAM, Albeshri ATS, Zailai AM. Factors influencing Patients’ Utilization of Dental Health Services in Jazan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2018;11(1):29-33.