8 - Impact of Physical and Physiological Limitations in Adults with Special Needs on Oral Health

Abstract:

Objectives: To examine the association between general health limitations (physical, neurological, or health-related) and oral health (behaviors and conditions) in United States adults aged 20 years and older.

Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 9,254 adults who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2017-2018. A total of 8,704 participants completed general and dental examinations at the Mobile Examination Center (MEC), of which 5,039 participants aged 20 years and above were included in the study. Exploratory data analysis was conducted to determine the characteristics of the study population. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to assess the strength of associations between physical, neurological, and health-related limitations and oral health (behaviors and conditions) of the participants using R statistical software.

Results: The mean age of the participants was 48.30 (±.55), of which 51% were females. Logistic regression modeling (adjusted for age, race, ethnicity, and gender) showed that participants with physical limitations were more likely to not visit a dentist in the last six months (aOR:1.73, p-value =0.006). Furthermore, for every additional ten years of age, the participants exhibited an increase in the incidence of coronal caries (aOR: 1.20, p-value= 0.007).

Conclusion: Adults with physical, neurological, and health-related disabilities were less likely to visit a dentist in the past six months, which impacted their oral health and led to an increased occurrence of dental caries. Persistent public health efforts to improve access to and quality dental care will help improve oral health and general health for adults with special needs.

Source of Funding: None