Factors Associated with Tooth Loss in Older Adults in Rural Colorado

• DOI: 10.1007/s10900-015-0117-y
• Publication Date: 2015-10-30T10:27:58Z
• Authors: Tamanna Tiwari; Sharon Scarbro; Lucinda L. Bryant; Jini Puma
• Keywords: Aged, 80 and over; Male; Colorado; Dietary Sugars; 1. No poverty; Carbonated Beverages; Hispanic or Latino; Rural Health; Dental Caries; 16. Peace & justice; 3. Good health; Tooth Loss; 03 medical and health sciences; Logistic Models; 0302 clinical medicine; Socioeconomic Factors; Risk Factors; Humans; Female; Dental Health Surveys; Aged

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.