Oral Health Status and Barriers to Oral Health Care among Patients of Federally-funded Health Centers

In 2008, 1080 Federally-funded Health Centers provided services to 17.1 million patients, including homeless patients, migrant and seasonal farmworkers and their families (MSFW), residents of public housing and general community patients. Approximately 3.1 million patients received dental services. During the fall of 2009, a patient survey was conducted with nearly 4,600 Health Center patients of all ages. Patients were asked about their health status, health services received and socio-demographics. Patients two and older were asked dental questions, including questions about the last time a dentist had been seen, the condition of their teeth, and whether they had problems accessing needed dental care. Questions were largely drawn from the National Health Interview Survey, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, and the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. Preliminary survey results indicate that overall, nearly half of patients had not seen a dentist within the past year. MSFW patients were more likely to have seen a dentist within the past year than homeless patients, public housing residents and general community patients. MSFW patients were also the least likely to have lost all of their teeth and most likely to have lost none of their teeth, while homeless patients were most likely to have lost all of their teeth. Respondents who had needed dental care within the past 12 months but were unable to get it were asked what the main reason was. The most common reason given was the inability to afford the care, followed by lack of insurance coverage for the care.