Kamimura Akiko, Gull Bethany, Weaver Shannon, Wright Lindsey, Edwards Alysa, Nourian Kimiya, Ashby Jeanie, Erickson Lea E
Department of Sociology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
Department of Health Promotion and Education, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
J Public Health Dent. 2017 Mar;77(2):155-162. doi: 10.1111/jphd.12193. Epub 2016 Dec 26.
Oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) is an important health indicator not only for individuals but also for oral health care providers to treat a person holistically. Previous studies focused on OHRQoL do not provide comprehensive knowledge regarding low-income patients in the United States, many of whom have chronic health conditions that can affect their oral health. The purpose of this study is to examine factors associated with OHRQoL among low-income, uninsured patients of safety-net providers, which provide free or reduced fee medical and/or dental care to underserved populations.
Uninsured patients (N = 584) participated in a self-administered survey in May and June 2016 at a safety-net clinic in the United States serving a low-income uninsured population, which provides limited oral health care services. This study used cross-sectional design and a nonprobability sample. The dependent variable was OHRQoL measured using the Oral Health Impact Profile-14. Chi square tests, Analysis of Variance tests, and multiple regression were used for statistical analysis.
Higher levels of dental care neglect and lower frequency of oral hygiene practice were associated with lower levels of OHRQoL (P < 0.01). Participants utilizing a diabetes clinic reported better OHRQoL than those who were not patients of a diabetes clinic (P < 0.05). US born English speakers had worse general health and OHRQoL compared to non-US born English speakers and Spanish speakers (P < 0.01).
An intervention to remedy dental neglect is recommended to improve OHRQoL among uninsured safety-net patients.
口腔健康相关生活质量（OHRQoL）不仅是个人的一项重要健康指标，也是口腔医疗服务提供者全面治疗患者的重要指标。以往关于OHRQoL的研究并未提供有关美国低收入患者的全面知识，其中许多人患有可能影响其口腔健康的慢性疾病。本研究的目的是调查安全网医疗机构中低收入、未参保患者的OHRQoL相关因素，这些机构为服务不足的人群提供免费或减费的医疗和/或牙科护理。
2016年5月和6月，未参保患者（N = 584）在美国一家为低收入未参保人群服务的安全网诊所参与了一项自填式调查，该诊所提供有限的口腔保健服务。本研究采用横断面设计和非概率抽样。因变量是使用口腔健康影响量表-14（OHIP-14）测量的OHRQoL。采用卡方检验、方差分析和多元回归进行统计分析。
更高程度的牙齿护理忽视和更低频率的口腔卫生习惯与更低水平的OHRQoL相关（P < 0.01）。使用糖尿病诊所的参与者报告的OHRQoL比未在糖尿病诊所就诊的参与者更好（P < 0.05）。与非美国出生的英语使用者和说西班牙语者相比，美国出生的说英语者的总体健康状况和OHRQoL更差（P < 0.01）。
建议采取干预措施纠正牙齿护理忽视问题，以改善未参保安全网患者的OHRQoL。
