Dental care utilization among dentate adults with asthma: findings from the 2008 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System

Objectives: This study investigated dental care service utilization among dentate adults with asthma and identified factors affecting dental care use among this population. Methods: Data from 414,509 adults in the United States who participated in the 2008 Behavioral and Risk Factor Surveillance System were used to estimate the percentage of dentate adults with asthma who had at least one dental visit within the past year. Results: The proportion of respondents with asthma who had at least one dental visit within the past year compared with the general population was significantly lower (67.4 percent versus 71.2 percent, P < 0.001 for dental visit for any reason; 64.3 percent versus 69.6 percent, P < 0.001 for dental cleaning). The adjusted odds of a dental visit for any reason within the past year for those with asthma were 0.86 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.81-0.91], and for dental cleaning 0.82 (95% CI, 0.78-0.87) times that of those without asthma, respectively. Multivariable modeling showed dentate adults with asthma who are male, high school or less educated, unemployed, lower income, current smokers, and have lost more than six teeth were less likely to have a dental visit within the past year. Conclusions: Compared with nonasthmatic individuals, dentate adults with asthma had a lower frequency of dental visits in the past year. Given a higher risk of oral disease among this population, heathcare providers should focus more effort on educating certain subgroups of patients with asthma on the importance of regular dental care.