Dental Caries Experience, Tooth Loss, and Factors Associated with Unmet Needs of Haitian Immigrants in New York City

Objective: The aim of this study was to characterize the dental caries experience, tooth loss, and unmet need of a group of Haitian immigrant residents of New York City. Methods: A purposive sample of 523 adults was obtained through community outreach activities during 1997–98. Clinical examinations...

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Published in:Journal of public health dentistry 2001-12, Vol.61 (4), p.203-209
Main Authors: Cruz, Gustavo D., Xue, Xiaonan, LeGeros, Racquel Z., Halpert, Nandor, Galvis, Diana L., Tavares, Mary
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Analysis of Variance
Dental Care - utilization
dental caries
Dental Caries - epidemiology
Dentistry
DMF Index
Educational Status
Female
Haiti - ethnology
Haitian immigrants
Health Services Needs and Demand - statistics & numerical data
Humans
Income - statistics & numerical data
Insurance, Dental - statistics & numerical data
Logistic Models
Male
Marital Status - statistics & numerical data
Middle Aged
New York City - epidemiology
Odds Ratio
tooth loss
Tooth Loss - epidemiology
unmet need
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Summary:Objective: The aim of this study was to characterize the dental caries experience, tooth loss, and unmet need of a group of Haitian immigrant residents of New York City. Methods: A purposive sample of 523 adults was obtained through community outreach activities during 1997–98. Clinical examinations were performed by calibrated examiners, according to NIDCR criteria. A comprehensive survey also was administered to all the participants. Results: For the whole group, the mean number of missing teeth was 2.64 (SD=4.72), the mean DMFT=6.05 (SD=5.26), the mean DMFS=18.80 (SD=21.04), and the mean DFS=5.58 (SD=6.17). Seventeen percent of the subjects had all their teeth sound, 59 percent had at least one tooth missing, 60 percent had at least one decayed tooth, and only 38 percent had restorations. Multivariate analyses showed that age, sex, education, dental insurance, frequency of dental visits, and dental floss use were predictors of unmet need. Conclusions: Although results showed a relatively low caries experience among this group of Haitian immigrants, the unmet need was very high. Furthermore, the tooth loss experience was relatively high for all age groups, further denoting a lack of access to preventive and restorative services.
ISSN:0022-4006
1752-7325
DOI:10.1111/j.1752-7325.2001.tb03392.x