Barriers to dental care for older minority adults

To explore factors that motivate and/or discourage use of dental care among low-income minority older adults

Participants were recruited from low-income senior housing in Hartford, CT. In-depth semistructured interviews were conducted to obtain data on demographics, oral health status, oral health knowledge, and factors that affected use of dental care.

Seventeen participants completed interviews. The major perceived barriers to dental care were cost/lack of dental insurance, fear/mistrust of the dentist, and transportation problems. Other factors included having complex medical conditions, no perceived need for care, and lack of knowledge about the importance of dental care.

Participants would like to have dental care provided on-site in the housing complexes. Improving communication between dentists and their older patients would help reduce fear and mistrust. Other health care providers could help educate older patients about oral health, conduct simple oral health screenings, and refer for acute and/or comprehensive care.