Dental care utilization among persons with Parkinson's disease in Denmark

Persons with Parkinson's disease (PD) have a higher prevalence of oral diseases and orofacial dysfunction, but knowledge about the use of dental care and whether their dental care needs are met is sparse. This study aimed to investigate the dental attendance and usage of dental care services of the total PD population in Denmark and compare it with a control group.

National registers were used to identify the total PD population in Denmark (n = 6874) and to obtain data on their dental care from 2015 to 2019. These data were compared with a five-fold age-, gender- and geographically matched control group without PD (n = 34 285). Register data on age, gender, civil status, educational level, income, nursing homes status and mortality were also collected and adjusted for in the analyses. The dental attendance was analysed using χ² -test with Bonferroni correction, and the type of dental care services was analysed using negative binomial regression analysis.

A significantly higher proportion of persons with PD were irregular attenders of the dental care system (21.0%), compared with the control group (16.9%). Persons with PD had a significantly higher overall usage of dental cares services. Most prominent was the high usage of treatment services, where persons with PD had a 1.50 times higher incidence rate of tooth extractions and a 1.71 times higher incidence rate of tooth fillings in the five years compared with the control group.

Persons with PD are more often irregular users of dental care and receive more treatment services than the control group. This indicates a need for high-quality prophylactic initiatives to prevent high filling and tooth extraction rates. Furthermore, this knowledge can be used by clinicians and decision makers to ensure optimal dental care for persons with PD.