Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 17, 2026

Oral Health Assessment by Lay Personnel for Older Adults
Published on: February 2, 2020
Social relationships and dental care service utilization among older adults
1University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA 02332, USA. jeffrey.burr@umb.edu
Objective:
This study described the association between dental care service utilization and two domains of social relationships (social integration and social support) among older adults.
Methods:
The study employed data from the 2008 Health and Retirement Study, examining regression models for whether a person visited a dentist in the past 2 years, including adjustments for demographic, socioeconomic, and health characteristics.
Results:
Social interaction, social participation, neighborhood cohesion, and marital status were related to an increased likelihood of having visited a dentist. Older persons exhibiting loneliness and having received financial aid from network members demonstrated a decreased likelihood of visiting a dentist. The increased likelihood of visiting a dentist when a child lives nearby only occurred after introducing health covariates.
Discussion:
The article discusses the implications of the study findings as they relate to social relationships and oral health and recommends some additional research directions to explore the etiology of dental care use.
Related Concept Videos
Social Relationships and Well-Being
Relationship Formation
Relationship with Other Adult Family Members and Siblings
Teeth
In the bud stage, the tooth germ (an aggregation of cells) starts to form in the developing jawbone. During the cap stage, the tooth germ differentiates into enamel organ, dental papilla, and dental sac, which will later develop into the tooth's enamel, dentin and...
Pharmacodynamics in Geriatric Patients: Effects of Age
Tooth Anatomy
The Crown, Neck, and Root
The visible part of the tooth is referred to as the crown. It's covered by enamel, the hardest substance in the human body. The crown is uniquely shaped for each type of tooth, allowing for different functions such as cutting, tearing, or grinding food.
