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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Catherine M. Simile, PhD, National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 3310 Toledo Road, Room 2115, Hyattsville, MD 20782, 301 458-4499, csimile@cdc.gov and Gulnur Freeman, MPA, National Center for Health Statistics, 3311 Toledo Road, Room 2104, Hyattsville, MD 20782.

Objective: This report presents national estimates of access to dental care for five subgroups of Hispanic/Latino persons in the United States: Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central or South American, and other Hispanic/Latino. For comparison, estimates are also presented for non-Hispanic white persons.

Methods: Combined data from the 2000-2003 National Health Interview Surveys (NHISs), conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics, were analyzed to produce estimates for Hispanic/Latino persons aged 2 years and over. Information on dental care service utilization and unmet dental care needs due to cost was self-reported by persons aged 18 years and over. For children aged 2-17 years, the information was collected from an adult knowledgeable about the child's health.

Results: Approximately 49% of Hispanic/Latino adults and 63% of Hispanic/Latino children had visited a dentist at least once in the past year. Mexican adults (44%) were least likely and Cuban adults (60%) were most likely to have used dental care in the past year. The percent of adults with unmet dental needs was highest among Mexican adults (12%) and lowest among Cuban adults (6%). Among the five subgroups of Hispanic/Latino children, Mexican children (60%) were least likely and Puerto Rican children (72%) were most likely to have visited a dentist in the past year. Mexican children (9%) were more likely than Puerto Rican children (5%) and other Hispanic/Latino children (6%) to experience unmet dental needs due to cost. For both adults and children, underutilization of dental care services was most prevalent among those with poor or near poor poverty status, with less than a high school diploma, who were foreign-born, without health insurance coverage and who had resided in the United States for less than 5 years.

Conclusion: Utilization of dental care services and unmet dental needs due to cost varied among subgroups of Hispanic/Latino persons. Identifying and understanding these subgroup differences will inform policies and programs designed to improve access to dental care among Hispanic/Latinos.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe variation in access to dental care among Hispanic/Latino subgroups.
• List risk factors for underutilization of dental care services among Hispanics.

Keywords: Hispanic, Oral Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered