Oral health status of older rural adults in the United States.

Background: Little is known about the oral health care of older rural residents. The authors describe oral health indicators for the older adult population by place of residence in the United States.

Methods: The authors analyzed data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and the 1995, 1997 and 1998 National Health Interview Surveys. Oral health indicators included perceived oral health (self-reported dental status and unmet dental needs) and dental status (untreated caries; decayed, missing and filled permanent teeth, or DMFT; and edentulism). Dental care utilization and access were measured by number of dental visits, frequency of dental visits and dental insurance status.

Results: Older rural adults were more likely than their urban counterparts to be uninsured for dental care (72.1 percent versus 66.1 percent, respectively) and were less likely to report dental visits in the past year (46.9 percent versus 58.4 percent, respectively). A higher proportion of rural residents than urban residents were edentulous (36.7 percent versus 28.2 percent, respectively) and reported poor dental status (50.7 percent versus 42.2 percent, respectively). There were no differences in unmet dental needs, percentage of people with untreated caries or in mean DMFT by place of residence.

Conclusions: Older rural residents inadequately utilize dental care and have less favorable oral health indicators than do older urban residents.

Clinical Implications: This article shows the need for more dental practitioners in rural areas. With the low density of dentists per person and the high need for care, rural America offers an excellent opportunity for oral health professionals to provide much needed services.