Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to examine factors that are associated with tooth loss in older adults living in the San Luis Valley (SLV), Colorado, which is a rural and large geographical area (roughly the size of Connecticut) that has a large population age 60 years or older. Data used in this manuscript were collected as a part of the SLV Community Health Survey. The analyzed sample included 308 adults over the age of 65 years who completed the survey. Basic descriptive statistics and a series of step-wise binary logistic regression analyses were conducted; the dependent variable was the number of permanent teeth removed because of tooth decay or gum disease. Fifty-two percent of the participants were male, Hispanic participants made up 40 % of the sample and 76 % of the participants had at least a high school education. Tooth loss was significantly associated with older age (OR = 1.09; p = 0.02), lower income (OR = 0.01; p = 0.00), less than high school education (OR = 0.32; p = 0.01), being Hispanic (OR = 2.15; p = 0.05), self-reported fair-poor health status (OR 2.94; p = 0.02), consumption of one or more than one sweet beverage per day (OR = 4.52; p = 0.00), no dental insurance (OR = 4.70; p = 0.01) and length of time since last dental visit (OR = 0.21; p = 0.01). The findings of the present study suggest possible causes for tooth loss in rural adults and underscore the need for in-depth research to study the overall oral health of rural older adults living in SLV.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ahluwalia, K. P., & Sadowsky, D. (2003). Oral disease burden and dental services utilization by Latino and African-American seniors in Northern Manhattan. Journal of Community Health, 28(4), 267–280.
Beltrán-Aguilar, E. D., Barker, L. K., Canto, M. T., Dye, B. A., Gooch, B. F., Griffin, S. O., & Nowjack-Raymer, R. (2005). Surveillance for dental caries, dental sealants, tooth retention, edentulism, and enamel fluorosis—United States, 1988–1994 and 1999–2002. MMWR. Surveillance Summaries, 54(3), 1–43.
Caldas, A., Marcenes, W., & Sheiham, A. (2000). Reasons for tooth extraction in a Brazilian population. International Dental Journal, 50(5), 267–273.
Copeland, L. B., Krall, E. A., Brown, L. J., Garcia, R. I., & Streckfus, C. F. (2004). Predictors of tooth loss in two US adult populations. Journal of Public Health Dentistry, 64(1), 31–37.
Dye, B. A., & Thornton-Evans, G. (2010). Trends in oral health by poverty status as measured by healthy people 2010 objectives. Public Health Reports, 125(6), 817.
Eke, P. I., Jaramillo, F., Thornton-Evans, G. O., & Borgnakke, W. S. (2011). Dental visits among adult Hispanics: BRFSS 1999 and 2006. Journal of Public Health Dentistry, 71(3), 252–256. doi:10.1111/j.1752-7325.2011.00259.x.
Fure, S., & Zickert, I. (1997). Incidence of tooth loss and dental caries in 60-, 70-and 80-year-old Swedish individuals. Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology, 25(2), 137–142.
Gilbert, G. H., & Shelton, B. J. (2003). Social determinants of tooth loss. Health Services Research, 38(6p2), 1843–1862.
Gooch, B. F., Malvitz, D. M., Griffin, S. O., & Maas, W. R. (2005). Promoting the oral health of older adults through the chronic disease model: CDC’s perspective on what we still need to know. Journal of Dental Education, 69(9), 1058–1063. Retrieved from http://www.jdentaled.org/content/69/9/1058.abstract.
Griffin, S. O., Jones, J. A., Brunson, D., Griffin, P. M., & Bailey, W. D. (2012). Burden of oral disease among older adults and implications for public health priorities. Journal Information, 102(3), 411–418.
Groves, R. M., Fowler, F. J., Jr., Couper, M. P., Lepkowski, J. M., Singer, E., & Tourangeau, R. (2011). Survey methodology. New York: Wiley.
Huang, D. L., & Park, M. (2014). Socioeconomic and racial/ethnic oral health disparities among US older adults: oral health quality of life and dentition. Journal of Public Health Dentistry.
Hujoel, P., Powell, L., & Kiyak, H. (1997). The effects of simple interventions on tooth mortality: Findings in one trial and implications for future studies. Journal of Dental Research, 76(4), 867–874.
Kiyak, H. A. (2004). Achieving successful aging: The impact of oral health. Geriatrics & Gerontology International, 4, S32–S33.
Kiyak, H. A., & Reichmuth, M. (2005). Barriers to and enablers of older adults’ use of dental services. Journal of Dental Education, 69(9), 975–986.
Levy, P. S., & Lemeshow, S. (2013). Sampling of populations: methods and applications. New York: Wiley.
Makhija, S. K., Gilbert, G. H., Boykin, M. J., Litaker, M. S., Allman, R. M., Baker, P. S., & Ritchie, C. S. (2006). The relationship between sociodemographic factors and oral health-related quality of life in dentate and edentulous community-dwelling older adults. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 54(11), 1701–1712.
Manski, R. J., Goodman, H. S., Reid, B. C., & Macek, M. D. (2004). Dental insurance visits and expenditures among older adults. American Journal of Public Health, 94(5), 759–764.
Saunders, R. H., & Meyerowitz, C. (2005). Dental caries in older adults. Dental Clinics of North America, 49(2), 293–308.
Sheiham, A., & James, W. (2015). Diet and dental caries the pivotal role of free sugars reemphasized. Journal of Dental Research, 94(10), 1341–1347.
Shelley, D., Russell, S., Parikh, N., & Fahs, M. (2011). Ethnic disparities in self-reported oral health status and access to care among older adults in NYC. Journal of Urban Health, 88(4), 651–662. doi:10.1007/s11524-011-9555-8.
Vargas, C. M., Yellowitz, J. A., & Hayes, K. L. (2003). Oral health status of older rural adults in the United States. The Journal of the American Dental Association, 134(4), 479–486.
Wu, B., Hybels, C., Liang, J., Landerman, L., & Plassman, B. (2014). Social stratification and tooth loss among middle-aged and older Americans from 1988 to 2004. Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology, 42(6), 495–502.
Wu, B., Liang, J., Plassman, B. L., Remle, C., & Luo, X. (2012). Edentulism trends among middle-aged and older adults in the United States: comparison of five racial/ethnic groups. Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology, 40(2), 145–153. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0528.2011.00640.x.
Wu, B., Liang, J., Plassman, B. L., Remle, R. C., & Bai, L. (2011). Oral health among white, black, and Mexican-American elders: An examination of edentulism and dental caries. Journal of Public Health Dentistry, 71(4), 308–317. doi:10.1111/j.1752-7325.2011.00273.x.
Acknowledgments
This publication was made possible by support from the National Institutes of Health through an administrative supplement to the Colorado Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (3UL1RR025780-02S1; PI of Supplement: Dr. Elaine Belansky), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Cooperative Agreement U48 DP001938; PI: Dr. Julie Marshall) and support of the primary author is by NIDCR (1K99DE024758-01A1). Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Colorado Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or NIDCR. The authors wish to extend a sincere thank you to all of the community liaisons, data collectors, project steering committee members, and the survey respondents.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Tiwari, T., Scarbro, S., Bryant, L.L. et al. Factors Associated with Tooth Loss in Older Adults in Rural Colorado. J Community Health 41, 476–481 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-015-0117-y
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-015-0117-y