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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Elaine Jurkowski, PhD, School of Social Work, Southern Illinois University, Quigley 4, M/C 4329, Carbondale, IL 62901, Charla J. Lautar, PhD, Health Care Professions, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, M/C 6615, Carbondale, IL 62901, 618-453-7213, etjurkow@siu.edu, and Sandra Nagel Beebe, MSinEd, Department of Health Education and Recreation, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, ASA, Mailcode 6615, Carbondale, IL 62901-6615.
Rural communities typically have limited access to oral health services due to a variety of factors including transportation, access to care and awareness of the importance and value of oral health. This study set out to identify various aspects of the oral health status of older adults (55 years and older) within two specific clinics, a University based dental hygiene "teaching" clinic and a Federally Qualified Health Clinic. Patterns of decayed, missing, restored rates, periodontal pockets, and other oral health conditions relative to payer, gender and race were examined to identify trends, similarities and differences. Multiple regression and t-test analyses suggest that there were differences in oral health status based upon payer source and clinic type. Preliminary data suggest that the number of existing natural teeth accounts for 52% of the variance of periodontal disease. Implications of the findings will be important in the development of education and public health prevention strategies within rural and developing communities for older adults.
Learning Objectives: At the end of this presentation, participants will
Keywords: Aging, Oral Health Needs
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
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.