Dental health of homeless adults.

As part of a community-based study, we were able to assess the number of grossly decayed and missing teeth, as well as recent use of dental services, among 529 homeless adults. We found that 27% reported having had a toothache during the previous month (only one-tenth of these individuals had sought help from a dentist for their toothache). Homeless adults, as compared with a general population, were half as likely to have made a dental visit within the preceding year (26.7% versus 55.0%) and had more grossly decayed teeth (means = 2.3 versus means = 1.4). Individuals with more tooth decay and missing teeth were more likely to be older, have physical health problems, smoke more cigarettes, use more alcohol, and have worse personal hygiene. Age, not length of homelessness, was the most important predictor variable of missing teeth. Thus, homeless adults have a higher degree of dental pathosis as well as a lower use of dental services than the general population. On the basis of these findings, more accessible dental services need to be designed for the homeless population.