Background. To describe the prevalence of tooth loss, to examine risk factors for having fewer teeth or no teeth, and to describe the use of dental services in an older Mexican American population. Methods. Data employed are from the 1993-94 Hispanic Established Population for the Epidemiological Study of the Elderly (EPESE), a population-based sample of 3,050 non-institutionalized Mexican Americans aged 65-99 from the five southwestern states. Results. Logistic regression analyses showed that being older and/or being female was significantly associated with tooth loss adjusting for education, income, smoking status, and diabetes. Current smokers (OR 1.69; 95% CI 1.31-2.20) and diabetics (OR 1.53; 95% CI 1.27-1.84) were more at risk for tooth loss; as were persons of lower socioeconomic status. Dental service use was less likely in subjects 85+ compared to those 65-74 (OR 0.62; 95% CI 0.41-0.91). Subjects with less than a high school education and current smokers were significantly less likely to have seen a dentist in the past two years. Conclusion. The prevalence of tooth loss among Mexican American elderly appears to be lower than has been previously found among the elderly in the general population. This lower prevalence of tooth loss may very well result from significantly lower dental service utilization among Mexican Americans at all ages.
Learning Objectives: This presentation will describe both tooth loss and dental service use by Mexican American elderly, and discuss factors related to tooth loss and dental service use
Keywords: Oral Health, Elderly
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.