222355 Disparities in Preventive Dental Care for Pregnant Women in New York State: Analysis of PRAMS 2004-07

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Stefanie Russell, DDS, MPH, PhD , Department of Epidemiology and Health Promotion, New York University, College of Dentistry, New York, NY
Geetika Singh, BDS , NYU College of Dentistry, Department of Epidemiology and Health Promotion, New York University, College of Dentistry, New York, NY
Ananda Dasanayake, DDS, MPH, PhD , Department of Epidemiology and Health Promotion, New York University, College of Dentistry, New York, NY
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether socioeconomic disparities exist regarding the utilization of preventive dental care among pregnant women in New York State in the years 2004-2007. Methods: We analyzed New York State Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) data collected in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007. Mothers were identified from birth certificate records of live births in NY State and were mailed a written questionnaire. Women were asked: “During your most recent pregnancy, did you have your teeth cleaned?” We examined whether the proportion of women in New York State who reported having had a dental cleaning during pregnancy in the years 2004-2007 varied by race/ethnicity, income, education, marital status, and by Medicaid status. Results: For all years, the proportion of women who reported a cleaning during pregnancy varied by race/ethnicity, education, income, marital status, and by Medicaid status. Blacks and Hispanics were less likely than Whites to report a dental cleaning (Blacks: 22.4-35.8%; Hispanics: 21.7-35.8% vs. Whites: 43.6-48.7%). The proportion of women who reported a dental cleaning during pregnancy was higher in those with more education (<high school: 17.0-27.4%, high school: 32.8-35.6% vs. high school+: 45.0-53.4%), higher incomes (<$10,000: 16.3-25.6%; $10-24,999: 27.4-32.0%; $25-49,999 34.2-42.1; $50,000+: 51.0-61.2%) and was related to marital status (married: 44.5%-54.2% vs. unmarried: 24.9-29.1%) and to Medicaid status (Medicaid: 26.2%-28.4% vs. no Medicaid: 45.3%-54.1%). Conclusions: These results suggest that there are great disparities in preventive dental care in New York and that these disparities have persisted over time.

Learning Areas:
Assessment of individual and community needs for health education
Epidemiology
Provision of health care to the public
Public health or related public policy
Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Following this presentation the learner will be able to describe the disparities that exist, by race/ethnicity, education, income, marital and Medicaid status among women in New York State regarding utilization of preventive dental care during pregnancy and will be able to discuss the implications of these findings regarding education, dental practice and policy.

Keywords: Pregnancy, Oral Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am qualified to present because I am a researcher who investigates factors related to dental health in pregnant women.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.