Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 25, 2025

Oral Health Assessment by Lay Personnel for Older Adults
Published on: February 2, 2020
Immigrant Status, Resilience, and Perceived Oral Health Among Chinese Americans in Hawaii
Bei Wu1, Yaolin Pei1, Wei Zhang2
1Rory Meyers College of Nursing, New York University, NY, USA.
Objectives:
This study aims to examine the associations among immigrant status, resilience, and perceived oral health for Chinese American older adults in Hawaii.
Method:
Data derived from 430 Chinese American adults aged 55 years and older residing in Honolulu, HI. We compared the self-rated oral health and oral health problems between U.S.-born Chinese Americans and foreign-born Chinese Americans by using ordered logistic regression and ordinary least squares regression models.
Results:
Findings suggest that immigrant status and lower levels of resilience are associated with poorer self-rated oral health and more oral health problems for Chinese American older adults in Hawaii. Resilience is more strongly associated with self-rated oral health for U.S.-born Chinese American than for foreign-born Chinese Americans, but this pattern was not evident for oral health problems.
Discussion:
Older Chinese American immigrants in Hawaii are disadvantaged in terms of their oral health. Understanding their susceptibilities may lead to targeted interventions.
Related Concept Videos
Surveys
Assessment of the Mouth
Mouth Inspection
The inspection begins with visually examining the mouth for symmetry, color, and size.
Ethnic Identity within a Larger Culture
Oral Cavity
Teeth: The teeth are the hardest structures in our bodies. Humans have two sets of teeth throughout their lifetime: deciduous (baby) teeth and permanent teeth. Each tooth consists of several parts: the crown (visible part), the root (embedded in the jaw), enamel (hard outer...
Self Within Cultural Contexts

