229908 Disparities in Access to Oral Health and Oral Health Outcomes in the Latino Community: A Growing Epidemic

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Conrado E. Barzaga, MD , Planning and Development, First 5 LA, Los Angeles, CA
Reena John, MPH , Planning and Development Department, First 5 LA, Los Angeles, CA
Roseann Mulligan, DDS, MS , School of Dentistry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Hazem Seirawan, DDS, MPH, MS , Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
The 2000 Surgeon General's Report concluded that oral health was essential to overall health and that for underprivileged children a “silent epidemic” existed; dental decay being “the single most common childhood disease, 5 times more common than asthma” and poor children having “12 times as many activity restricted days per year” due to dental illnesses. With great disparities in SES, some 10 million inhabitants call Los Angeles County home; near 50% are Latinos, and 36% were born in foreign countries. A study was conducted to investigate the social determinants of oral health and current oral health status of underprivileged children and Los Angeles County. This is the most comprehensive study of oral health among underprivileged children of Los Angeles County. The study documented oral health profiles of underprivileged children and prepared for the design of culturally appropriate community interventions in the future. This study showed a higher than anticipated prevalence of caries in Latino children and explored many of the complexities and challenges Latinos face when accessing dental care, and thus documented great disparities in oral health outcomes. This study is a call to address a growing and alarming epidemic of dental disease in Latinos.

Learning Areas:
Advocacy for health and health education
Chronic disease management and prevention
Diversity and culture
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs

Learning Objectives:
Attendees will be able to describe how Latino children and their families experience a disproportionately higher prevalence of caries Attendees will assess how Latino children whose parents do not speak English at home experience a higher prevalence of caries Attendees will identify the disproportionate percentage of dental providers that do not serve younger children or accept publicly funded dental insurance

Keywords: Access, One Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I worked in the study we intend to present
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.

Back to: 5168.0: Improving Latino health