Predictors of Dental Care Service Utilization among Latinos in Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama

Background: Utilization of dental healthcare services by Latino population is linked with insurance status.  Approximately 31% of all uninsured persons in the US are of Latino origin.  While significant, the impact of additional factors/barriers on access to dental healthcare by Latino populations within the tri-state areas of Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi remain unclear.  

Objective: To examine the potential factors of social economic status (SES), healthcare coverage and acculturation as barriers to dental healthcare service utilization in Latino population.

Methods: A Latino Community Health Needs Assessment was administered to 411 participants.  Descriptive statistics for univariate analysis and logistic regression analysis for predicting dental care coverage were performed.

Results: The means age of participants was 38 years. 57% percent were female. Only 25% of participants reported they had health insurance coverage for past 12 months, 55% reported not seeing a dentist in the past 12 months; 56% participants reported they were acculturated, 13% completed a college /university degree, and 17 % had household income of $40, 000 - $100,000. Multivariate logistic regression that included education, income, health coverage and acculturation, revealed the odds of having health coverage vs not being insured is 3.91 times (95% CI: 2.20-7.00), elementary vs. high school education is 1.75 times, (95% CI 1.02-3.02) elementary vs. college/university education 3.05 times (95% CI 1.33-6.9) higher in  Hispanic/Latino populations seeking dental healthcare service.

Conclusions: This result underscores the need for health care coverage and health education/ promotion to facilitate dental care service.