Abstract
BackgroundNationally representative clinical data on the oral health needs of Canadians has not been available since the 1970s. The purpose of this study was to determine the normative treatment needs of a nationally representative sample of Canadians and describe how these needs were distributed.MethodsA secondary analysis of data collected through the Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS) was undertaken. Sampling and bootstrap weights were applied to make the data nationally representative. Descriptive frequencies were used to examine the sample characteristics and to examine the treatment type(s) needed by the population. Bivariate logistic regressions were used to see if any characteristics were predictive of having an unmet dental treatment need, and of having specific treatment needs. Lastly, multivariate logistic regression was used to identify the strongest predictors of having an unmet dental treatment need.ResultsMost of the population had no treatment needs and of the 34.2% who did, most needed restorative (20.4%) and preventive (13.7%) care. The strongest predictors of need were having poor oral health, reporting a self-perceived need for treatment and visiting the dentist infrequently.ConclusionsIt is estimated that roughly 12 million Canadians have at least one unmet dental treatment need. Policymakers now have information by which to assess if programs match the dental treatment needs of Canadians and of particular subgroups experiencing excess risk.
Highlights
Representative clinical data on the oral health needs of Canadians has not been available since the 1970s
Prior to the 2007/09 Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS), there was no nationally representative clinical data on the oral health needs of Canadians since the 1970/72 Nutrition Canada National Survey [1]. This is of concern as identifying the needs of a population is the primary step in the development and planning of programs [2]
In Canada, dental services are predominantly delivered in the private sector on a fee-for-service basis
Summary
Representative clinical data on the oral health needs of Canadians has not been available since the 1970s. Prior to the 2007/09 Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS), there was no nationally representative clinical data on the oral health needs of Canadians since the 1970/72 Nutrition Canada National Survey [1]. This is of concern as identifying the needs of a population is the primary step in the development and planning of programs [2]. Very high levels of unmet need among older adults have been observed regardless of whether they live in an institution or are homebound [7] The treatments they require have been reported as consisting of urgent, preventive, periodontal, restorative and prosthodontic care [7]. It has been found that people are usually unable to report signs and symptoms related to periodontal conditions [8,9]
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