Disparities of Delayed Dental Visits and Severe Tooth Loss Among Older Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders in Hawai ʻi: A Cross-Sectional Study of Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Data from 2012 to 2020

We examined delayed dental visits and severe tooth loss among older NHOPI adults in relation to sociodemographic factors and community level disparities using five waves of data from the Hawai ʻi Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System collected between 2012 and 2020. Weighted Poisson regression was used to estimate the unadjusted and adjusted prevalence ratio of delayed dental service utilization and severe tooth loss. Relative to other racial/ethnic groups, older NHs had higher rate s of delayed dental service utilization and severe tooth loss after adjusting for sociodemographic factors, and disparities were also found in rural communities.Awareness of the unique challenges and inequities faced by older Indigenous and racially/ethnically marginalized populations is critical for policymakers to develop strategies to achieve health equity.
Source: Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: research