Prevalence and correlates of self-reported fair or poor oral health in Canada

Oral health (OH) is an important part of overall health and quality of life. OH conditions are mostly preventable or treatable. Some subpopulations have worse OH than others. Detailed and up-to-date data about the OH of Canada's population are essential for improving care; reducing inequities; and guiding recent policy initiatives, such as the Canadian Dental Care Plan, and measuring their impact.

Self-reported data from the 2023/2024 Canadian Oral Health Survey were used to estimate the prevalence of fair or poor OH across other OH-related conditions, oral self-care practices, and sociodemographic characteristics. Multivariable logistic regression models examined associations between reporting fair or poor OH, while controlling for sociodemographic characteristics and other covariates.

About 17% of adults in Canada reported having fair or poor OH. Bivariate cross-tabulations and unadjusted regression suggested that self-reported fair or poor OH was positively associated with other OH-related conditions. Multivariable logistic regression also showed the odds of reporting fair or poor OH remained higher for people who had other OH-related conditions, including whether the person had teeth and dentures; being dissatisfied with the appearance of their teeth or dentures; having mouth pain; having untreated mouth problems; and avoiding certain foods because of mouth problems. Not having had an annual dental visit or failing to brush twice daily also increased the risk, as did being a man, a racialized person, or from a lower-income household, as well as having a lower general health status.

This study found associations between self-reported fair or poor OH, other OH-related conditions, several sociodemographic characteristics, and oral self-care (hygiene) practices, reaffirming that self-reported OH continues to be useful for OH monitoring in Canada.