Does optimal access to dental care counteract the oral health‐related quality of life social gradient?

Background The aim of this study was to determine if an oral health‐related quality of life (OHRQoL) social gradient existed when Australian Defence Force (ADF) members have universal and optimal access to dental care. Methods A nominal roll included 4089 individuals who were deployed to the Solomon...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Australian dental journal 2016-12, Vol.61 (4), p.418-424
Main Authors: Crocombe, LA, Mahoney, GD
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Australia
Defence force
Dental Care - standards
dental care/utilization
dental health surveys
Dentistry
Female
Health Services Accessibility - standards
Humans
Male
Melanesia
Middle Aged
Military Personnel - psychology
outcome assessment (health care)
Quality of Life
Social Class
Socioeconomic Factors
Tooth Diseases - prevention & control
Tooth Diseases - psychology
Young Adult
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Summary:Background The aim of this study was to determine if an oral health‐related quality of life (OHRQoL) social gradient existed when Australian Defence Force (ADF) members have universal and optimal access to dental care. Methods A nominal roll included 4089 individuals who were deployed to the Solomon Islands as part of Operation ANODE and a comparison group of 4092 ADF personnel frequency matched to the deployed group on gender, age group and service type, from which 500 deployed and 500 comparison individuals were randomly selected. The dependent variables were the OHIP‐14 summary measures. Rank was used to determine socioeconomic status. The demographic variables selected were: gender and age. Results The response rate was 44%. Of the individual OHIP‐14 items, being self‐conscious, painful aching and having discomfort when eating were the most common problems. Mean OHIP‐14 severity was 2.8. In bivariate analysis, there was not a significant difference in mean OHIP‐14 severity (p = 0.52) or frequency of OHIP‐14 impacts (p = 0.57) by military rank. There was a significant increasing OHIP‐14 extent score from commissioned officer to non‐commissioned officer to other ranks (0.07, 0.19, 0.40, p = 0.03). Conclusions Even with optimal access to dental care, there was an OHRQoL social gradient between military ranks in the ADF.
ISSN:0045-0421
1834-7819
DOI:10.1111/adj.12393