Oral health status among Spanish adults with diabetes: National Health Survey, 2017.

AIMS

We aim i) to describe self-reported oral health among patients with diabetes in Spain; ii) to recognize which variables (socio-demographic, lifestyle and health-related), were related to poor self-reported oral health in patients with diabetes.

METHODS

We used data from subjects of the National Health Interview Survey performed in 2017. Diabetes status was self-reported. One non-diabetes patient was matched by gender and age for each diabetes case. Poor self-reported oral health was defined using the answers "I have dental caries" to the following question: "What is the state of your teeth and molars?". Socieconomic, demographic, comorbidities, health status, health care-related were independent variables.

RESULTS

We found that the prevalence of dental caries was higher among subjects with diabetes than their matched controls (23.8% vs. 16.5%; P < 0.001). The OR of dental caries for people with diabetes was 1.45 (95% CI 1.12-1.30). Older age, having lower monthly income, obesity, periodontal disease, very poor/poor/ fair self-rated health and having public dental health insurance increased the probability of suffering caries.

CONCLUSIONS

Poor self-reported oral health was higher among people with diabetes compared to non-diabetes controls. Physicians and dentists should increase their awareness with their patients with diabetes, especially those with obesity, younger and with lower education.