Dental utilisation for older Americans aged 55-75

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Dental Public Health
• Health Economics

Background:

• Understanding determinants of dental care utilization is crucial for public health policy.
• Previous research indicates various socioeconomic and demographic factors influence dental visit decisions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze economic and non-economic factors affecting the decision to seek dental care.
• To identify determinants influencing the number of dental visits among older adults.

Main Methods:

• Utilized secondary data from the National Health Interview Survey.
• Employed a two-part choice logistic regression model.
• Focused on 5,327 non-institutional adults aged 55-75, excluding Medicaid recipients.

Main Results:

• Income, dental insurance, education, race, gender, family size, age, and presence of teeth were associated with seeking dental care.
• Income, dental insurance, education, race, gender, and family size were associated with the number of dental visits.

Conclusions:

• Employment showed a limited effect on dental utilization.
• Health status was not significantly associated with seeking care or visit frequency.
• Significant differences exist in factors influencing the decision to seek care versus the number of visits.