Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 8, 2025

Training Persons with Spinal Cord Injury to Ambulate Using a Powered Exoskeleton
Published on: June 16, 2016
Factors Associated With Regular Dental Care in People With Spinal Cord Injury: A Secondary Analysis of Data From the
Jennifer Coker1, Mitch Sevigny1, Nguyen Nguyen2
1Craig Hospital, Englewood, Colorado.
Background:
Oral health and regular dental care are critical to overall health. Research has found associations between oral health and infections, respiratory disease, and poor quality of life in the general population. While risks for all are increased in people with spinal cord injury (SCI), there is limited information on dental care after SCI.
Objectives:
The purpose of this analysis was to examine factors associated with regular dental care in people with SCI.
Methods:
We analyzed data from 348 individuals with traumatic and nontraumatic SCI who were enrolled in the Fracture Risk after SCI (FRASCI) study. The dataset included two variables on dental care, as well as demographics, injury-related characteristics, and secondary conditions. Bivariate relationships were determined using two-sided t tests and chi-square tests.
Results:
Over 60% of the sample received regular dental care twice per year, and 71% reported seeing a dentist within the past year. Those participants receiving regular dental care twice a year were more likely to be female, be working, have more than a high school diploma, have private insurance, and need a caregiver compared to those who do not receive regular dental care. In addition, these participants were more likely to have had pneumonia since their SCI and have had a urinary tract infection in the past year and since injury.
Conclusion:
More data on oral health are needed to make conclusions about the impact of oral health on secondary conditions and quality of life in people with SCI.
Related Concept Videos
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...
Factors Affecting the Risk of Infection
The integrity and count of the white blood cells help the body resist pathogens and fight infection. When impaired, it reduces the body's resistance to pathogens. The acidic pH levels of the gastrointestinal, genitourinary tracts, and skin...
Factors Affecting Illness
For instance, risk factors are connected to illness,...
Spinal Cord
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...
Restorative Care

