Oral health status of rural adults in the United States.

Background: Many sociodemographic indicators of oral health disparity in the United States have been documented. Rural residence, however, has not been researched thoroughly, though it has been considered to be a potential indicator of disparity. The authors conducted this study to present information on the effects of rural residence on oral health in the United States.

Methods: The authors conducted their analyses using data from adults aged 18 to 64 years from the 1995, 1997 and 1998 National Health Interview Surveys and the Third National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey, 1988-94. The authors present national estimates for various oral health status indicators including dental insurance coverage, unmet care needs, frequency of dental visits, caries experience and prevalence of edentulism by rural/urban residence.

Results: The authors found that adults living in rural areas were more likely to report having unmet dental care needs and were less likely to have had a dental visit in the past year compared with adults living in urban areas. The prevalence of edentulism among rural adults was 16.3 percent-almost twice that of urban adults. Caries experience also was more likely to be greater among adults residing in rural areas.

Conclusions: Oral health disparities exist among U.S. adults living in rural and urban areas. Compared with urban residents, rural residents were less likely to report a dental visit in the past year and were more likely to be edentulous.

Practice Implications: By understanding the rural/urban differences in adult oral health status, practitioners, policy-makers and rural health advocates will have better information to use to promote activities that better meet the needs of rural adults in the United States.