Californians who had no dental visit during the past year: A focus on Latinos

Background: Healthy People 2010 calls for an increase in the use of the oral healthcare system and encourages the elimination of disparities. This study describes factors associated with not having had a dental visit in the past year, with particular attention paid to Latinos.

Methods: A total of 42,044 adults responded to the 2003 California Health Interview Survey. Participants were classified as those who reported having been to a dentist in the past year versus those who did not. Ethnicity-specific logistic regression models were used to determine risk factors for not having had a dental visit.

Results: The overall age-adjusted prevalence estimate for having had no dental visit is 32.6% (95%CI=32.0%-33.3%); for Latinos, 43.7% (95%CI=42.1%-45.4%). Age- and gender-adjusted models suggest that no dental insurance (Latino: OR=2.79, 95%CI=2.46-3.18 vs. non-Latino: OR=2.30, 95%CI=2.15-2.46), no prior year medical visit (Latino: 2.45, 2.03-2.96 vs. non-Latino: 2.16, 1.96-2.38), and a physical limitation (Latino: 1.42, 1.04-1.95 vs. non-Latino: 1.24, 1.08-1.41) are more predictive of having had no dental visit for Latinos than for non-Latinos, while being single (Latino: 1.10, 0.94-1.30 vs. non-Latino: 1.32, 1.23-1.41), smoking (Latino: 1.33, 1.08-1.65 vs. non-Latino: 1.53, 1.39-1.69), reporting fair/poor health (Latino: 1.56, 1.34-1.82 vs. non-Latino: 1.63, 1.48-1.80), and having no post-secondary education (Latino: 1.06, 0.90-1.24 vs. non-Latino: 1.70, 1.57-1.84) are more predictive of having had no dental visit for non-Latinos than for Latinos.

Conclusions: Risk factors differ by ethnicity. Understanding these factors may allow for the development of programs and policies focused on improving the utilization of the oral healthcare system.