Zangiabadi Safoura, Costanian Christy, Tamim Hala
School of Kinesiology and Health Sciences, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, ON, M3J 1P3, Canada.
BMC Oral Health. 2017 Dec 29;17(1):165. doi: 10.1186/s12903-017-0453-7.
Oral health is a significant measure of overall health, and regular dental visits are recommended for the maintenance of oral health. The purpose of this study is to determine the pattern (amount and type) of, and factors associated with dental care use among Ontarians.
Data from the 2014 cycle of the Canadian Community Health Survey was used and analysis was restricted to individuals aged 12 and above residing in Ontario. Dental care use was defined by two distinct outcomes: not visiting a dentist within the past year and visiting a dentist only for emergencies. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to examine the association between socio-demographic, health behavior, oral health, and other health-related factors and the two outcomes.
More than a quarter of participants reported not visiting the dentist in the last year, and 19% reported usually visiting a dentist only for emergencies. Multivariable logistic regression analysis suggested that males, individuals of Aboriginal status, those with low educational attainment, low household income, no dental insurance, who smoked, less frequent teeth brushing, poor health of teeth and mouth, or had diabetes were at a significant increased likelihood of not visiting the dentist within the past year, and only visiting a dentist for emergency care.
Socioeconomic status, self-reported oral health, and general health behaviors were associated with dental care use. These findings highlight the need for focusing efforts toward improving dental care use among Ontarians.
口腔健康是整体健康的一项重要指标，建议定期进行牙科检查以维护口腔健康。本研究的目的是确定安大略省居民使用牙科护理的模式（数量和类型）以及与之相关的因素。
使用了2014年加拿大社区健康调查的数据，并将分析限制在居住在安大略省的12岁及以上个体。牙科护理使用由两个不同的结果定义：过去一年未看牙医以及仅因紧急情况看牙医。进行多变量逻辑回归以检验社会人口统计学、健康行为、口腔健康和其他与健康相关因素与这两个结果之间的关联。
超过四分之一的参与者报告过去一年未看牙医，19%的参与者报告通常仅因紧急情况看牙医。多变量逻辑回归分析表明，男性、原住民身份者、教育程度低、家庭收入低、没有牙科保险、吸烟、刷牙频率低、牙齿和口腔健康状况差或患有糖尿病的人在过去一年未看牙医且仅因紧急情况看牙医的可能性显著增加。
社会经济地位、自我报告的口腔健康和一般健康行为与牙科护理使用有关。这些发现凸显了需要集中努力改善安大略省居民的牙科护理使用情况。
