Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #109465

Karolynn Siegel, PhD¹, Eric W. Schrimshaw, MA (PhD cand)¹, Barbara B. Andoh, DDS, MPH², Joyce Moon-Howard, DrPH³, and Carol Kunzel, PhD¹. (1) Center for the Psychosocial Study of Health & Illness, Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health, 100 Haven Avenue, Suite 6A, New York, NY 10032, 212-304-5578, ks420@columbia.edu, (2) Division of Pediatric Dentistry, Columbia University School of Dental and Oral Surgery, 630 West 168th Street, P&S Box 20, New York, NY 10032, (3) Sociomedical Sciences Department, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 722 West 168th Street, New York, NY 10032

Little is known about the oral health-related quality of life of African Americans. In an ongoing street intercept study of the oral health of African Americans in Central Harlem who reported an oral problem in the past six months (n = 89 cases to date), the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP- 14) was used to assess their oral health-related quality of life. The mean OHIP score for all participants was 5.2 (range 0-14). Men reported more difficulties than women (5.8 vs. 4.8). The most common difficulties suffered by men and women (respectively) were pain (80% vs. 61%), discomfort eating (74% vs. 63%) and being self conscious (63% vs. 54%). Participants 50 and older reported no more difficulties than younger participants (5.1 vs. 5.2). Difficulties more likely to be endorsed by adults 50+ than younger ones were trouble pronouncing words (40% vs.23%), pain (75% vs. 58%), and feeling tense (52% vs. 33%). Smokers experienced more difficulties than non-smokers (5.9 vs. 4.5). Smokers were more likely to report a worsening of their sense of taste (31% vs. 18%), pain (77% vs. 60%), difficulty relaxing (42% vs. 23%) and being irritable with others (40% vs. 25%). Findings indicate that Harlem residents, especially smokers, experience multiple problems that compromise their oral health-related quality of life. Outreach efforts should target these populations with the goal of getting them into care to address difficulties related to their teeth, mouth and dentures that impair their oral quality of life.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe the high prevalence of poor oral quality of life among African Americans in Central Harlem.
• Describe how different groups (men, smokers) are at greater risk for poor oral quality of life.
• Identify which aspects of oral quality of life are most problematic for different gender, age, and smoking groups.
• Describe how this findings can be utilized to inform interventions to better target services to address oral health and oral quality of life.

Keywords: African American, Oral Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.