Overcoming data challenges examining oral health disparities in appalachia

A theory of oral healthcare decision-making in Appalachia

INTRODUCTION

People make oral healthcare decisions regardless of having partial information, misinformation, sources that deliberately mislead, or information that is culturally influenced. This is particularly true in the Appalachian culture where oral healthcare decision-making practices are not well understood by researchers and dental professionals. Despite efforts to improve dental care utilization, the Appalachia region remains low in oral healthcare utilization. There is a need for a theory to identify concepts in decision-making when seeking oral healthcare. The theory could be useful in creating oral health interventions. The study objective is to develop a theory to identify concepts that influence oral healthcare decision-making in Appalachia (OHDA).

METHODS

The researchers used a grounded theory qualitative study design to explain data for a theory of OHDA. Participants from Appalachia, in 20-minute interviews, provided insights into concepts that influence OHDA from August 22, 2017 to May 26, 2022. Notes/memos were written during and after the interviews and coding was conducted after the interviews. Open coding categories emerged through constant comparison of responses.

RESULTS

Five overarching concepts that embody OHDA were discovered: Affect (Level of Pain/Emotion/Stress involvement), Awareness, Trust/belief, Resources, and Risk Perception. All participants discussed the impact of social media toward these concepts.

CONCLUSION

To influence a person's OHDA, public health officials and researchers need to address the person's affect, level of awareness, trust/belief, available resources, and risk perception. Social media is very important in awareness concerning oral health information. These factors are important to consider for similar research in oral healthcare utilization at the population level.

Pittsburgh as a High Risk Population: The Potential Savings of a Personalized Dental Care Plan

Objectives. Little evidence exists for the current standard of two annual preventative care visits. The purpose of this study was investigate this claim by modeling the potential savings of implementing a personalized care plan for high risk individuals in the Pittsburgh region. Methods. Using radiographs from 39 patients in the University of Pittsburgh Dental Registry and DNA Repository database, two models were created to analyse the direct savings of implementing a more aggressive preventative treatment plan and to view the longitudinal cost of increased annual yearly visits. Results. There is a significant decrease (p < 0.001) between original and modeled treatment cost when treatment severity is reduced. In addition, there is a significant decrease in adult lifetime treatment cost (p < 0.001) for up to four annual visits. Conclusions. Patients in high risk populations may see significant cost benefits in treatment cost when a personalized care plan, or higher annual preventative care visits, is implemented.

Tooth loss in Appalachia and the Mississippi delta relative to other regions in the United States, 1999-2010

OBJECTIVES

We examined regional variation in tooth loss in the United States from 1999 to 2010.

METHODS

We used 6 waves of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and data on county characteristics to describe regional trends in tooth loss and decompose diverging trends into the parts explained by individual and county components.

RESULTS

Appalachia and the Mississippi Delta had higher levels of tooth loss than the rest of the country in 1999. From 1999 to 2010, tooth loss declined in the United States. However, Appalachia did not converge toward the US average, and the Mississippi Delta worsened relative to the United States. Socioeconomic status explained the largest portion of differences between regions in 1999, but a smaller portion of the trends. The Mississippi Delta is aging more quickly than the rest of the country, which explains 17% of the disparity in the time trend.

CONCLUSIONS

The disadvantage in tooth loss is persistent in Appalachia and growing in the Mississippi Delta. The increasing disparity is partly explained by changes in the age structure but is also associated with behavioral and environmental factors.