Oral health and access to dental care - a comparison of elderly migrants and non-migrants in Germany
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Oral health and access to dental care - a comparison of elderly migrants and non-migrants in Germany. / Aarabi, Ghazal; Reissmann, Daniel R; Seedorf, Udo; Becher, Heiko; Heydecke, Guido; Kofahl, Christopher.
In: ETHNIC HEALTH, Vol. 23, No. 7, 10.2018, p. 703-717.Research output: SCORING: Contribution to journal › SCORING: Journal article › Research › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Oral health and access to dental care - a comparison of elderly migrants and non-migrants in Germany
AU - Aarabi, Ghazal
AU - Reissmann, Daniel R
AU - Seedorf, Udo
AU - Becher, Heiko
AU - Heydecke, Guido
AU - Kofahl, Christopher
PY - 2018/10
Y1 - 2018/10
N2 - OBJECTIVES: To compare oral health, access barriers to dental care, oral health behavior and oral hygiene behavior of elderly German residents with and without immigration background.DESIGN: In this cross-sectional explorative study, a convenience sample (N = 112, age ≥ 60 years, 54% immigrants) was recruited in four dental practices in Hamburg, Germany. Oral health was assessed with Decayed/Missing/Filled Teeth (DMFT), Papillary Bleeding Index (PBI), and Approximal Plaque Index (API). Dental health was operationalized as number of decayed teeth, and poor oral hygiene based on a PBI ≥ 40%. Access barriers and oral health behavior were assessed with a standardized questionnaire.RESULTS: While caries experience was similar in migrants and non-migrants (DMFT mean: 24.8 vs. 23.4, n.s.), significantly more teeth were decayed (5.3 vs. 2.1, p < 0.001), and API (55.3% vs. 33.0%, p = 0.002) and PBI (46.3% vs. 30.5%, p = 0.016) were significantly higher in migrants. After adjusting for age, sex, income, education, and number of teeth, migrants still had on average 3 decayed teeth more than non-migrants. However, impact of migration background on poor oral health changed from OR = 3.61 (p = 0.007) to OR = 1.05 (n.s.) after adjusting for confounders, mainly due to lower income in migrants. Fewer migrants had visited a dentist within the past 12 months, and migrants were less likely to have a regular dentist that they visit and more often indicated language or cost barriers than non-migrants.CONCLUSION: Elderly German migrants have higher treatment needs than non-migrants. Likely causes are poorer oral hygiene and lower utilization of dental care services. Specific prevention programs targeting migrants are warranted to improve oral health in this disadvantaged group.
AB - OBJECTIVES: To compare oral health, access barriers to dental care, oral health behavior and oral hygiene behavior of elderly German residents with and without immigration background.DESIGN: In this cross-sectional explorative study, a convenience sample (N = 112, age ≥ 60 years, 54% immigrants) was recruited in four dental practices in Hamburg, Germany. Oral health was assessed with Decayed/Missing/Filled Teeth (DMFT), Papillary Bleeding Index (PBI), and Approximal Plaque Index (API). Dental health was operationalized as number of decayed teeth, and poor oral hygiene based on a PBI ≥ 40%. Access barriers and oral health behavior were assessed with a standardized questionnaire.RESULTS: While caries experience was similar in migrants and non-migrants (DMFT mean: 24.8 vs. 23.4, n.s.), significantly more teeth were decayed (5.3 vs. 2.1, p < 0.001), and API (55.3% vs. 33.0%, p = 0.002) and PBI (46.3% vs. 30.5%, p = 0.016) were significantly higher in migrants. After adjusting for age, sex, income, education, and number of teeth, migrants still had on average 3 decayed teeth more than non-migrants. However, impact of migration background on poor oral health changed from OR = 3.61 (p = 0.007) to OR = 1.05 (n.s.) after adjusting for confounders, mainly due to lower income in migrants. Fewer migrants had visited a dentist within the past 12 months, and migrants were less likely to have a regular dentist that they visit and more often indicated language or cost barriers than non-migrants.CONCLUSION: Elderly German migrants have higher treatment needs than non-migrants. Likely causes are poorer oral hygiene and lower utilization of dental care services. Specific prevention programs targeting migrants are warranted to improve oral health in this disadvantaged group.
KW - Journal Article
U2 - 10.1080/13557858.2017.1294658
DO - 10.1080/13557858.2017.1294658
M3 - SCORING: Journal article
C2 - 28277023
VL - 23
SP - 703
EP - 717
JO - ETHNIC HEALTH
JF - ETHNIC HEALTH
SN - 1355-7858
IS - 7
ER -