Abstract
Diabetes is known to increase the risk for dental and periodontal diseases such as severe periodontitis, gingivitis, xerostomia, dental abscesses, cavities and subsequent tooth loss. In order to prevent the oral health complications associated with diabetes, guidelines recommend the use of dental care services and regular screening at least once every six months. The objective of this study is to investigate the relationship among socio-demographic factors related to the use of dental services in adult diabetic population the United States. We performed a cross sectional study using the 2010 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) database. All respondents above the age of 18 were used for the analyses. A two part linear regression model was built to analyze the self-reported use of any dental care services adjusting for various independent variables such as diagnosis of diabetes, age, race, sex, marital status, family income, years of education, and dental insurance status. All analyses incorporated person-level weights and variance adjustment weights (strata and primary sampling unit) provided by MEPS to produce nationally representative estimates. The level of statistical significance was P ≤.05 and all analyses were carried out using the statistical package, STATA IC version 10 (StataCorp, LP). Dental care service use was significantly lower in diabetic individuals (61%) compared to non-diabetic population (49%). Among those who visited a dentist, the annual number of visits was higher in diabetic population. Utilization was higher in whites, females, married individuals and in general increased with age. Low and middle income individuals were more likely to have no dental care visits compared to high income individuals. Having dental insurance also had a positive effect on the utilization. Dental care service utilization is higher among diabetics compared to the general population. However, there is lack of use of preventive services among this population.
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