Elsevier

American Journal of Ophthalmology

Volume 210, February 2020, Pages 184-191
American Journal of Ophthalmology

Original Article
Self-Reported Oral Health Status Among Adults Aged 40+ Years With and Without Vision Impairment: National Health Interview Study, 2008

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajo.2019.08.022Get rights and content

Purpose

To examine self-reported oral health among adults aged 40 years and older with and without vision impairment.

Design

Cross-sectional, with a nationally representative sample.

Methods

We used publicly available data from the Oral Health Module, last administered in 2008, of the National Health Interview Survey. Outcome variables included fair/poor oral health status, mouth condition compared to others the same age, mouth problems (mouth sores, difficulty eating, dry mouth, bad breath, and/or jaw pain), teeth problems (toothache; broken/missing fillings or teeth; loose, crooked, or stained teeth; and/or bleeding gums), and lack of social participation. Using descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regression, we examined the association (P < .05) between vision impairment and oral health outcomes by age group, sociodemographics, and other explanatory variables.

Results

Our study sample included 12,090 adults; 12.8% of adults aged 40-64 years reported vision impairment, and among them, 44.5% reported fair/poor oral health status and 47.2% reported any mouth problems. Among adults aged ≥65 years, 17.3% reported vision impairment, of whom 36.3% reported fair/poor oral health status and 57.3% reported any mouth problems. There is a strong association between vision impairment and poorer oral health of adults; adults aged 40-64 years with vision impairment reported 90%-150% greater odds of oral health problems, including fair/poor oral health status, mouth problems, and teeth problems, compared to people without vision impairment.

Conclusions

Oral health disparities exist between adults with and without vision impairment. Targeted interventions are required to improve oral health in this vulnerable population.

Section snippets

Data Source

The NHIS is a cross-sectional household interview survey that uses a multistage area probability design among the US noninstitutionalized civilian population. We used data from the Sample Adult Core and the Oral Health Module. Detailed information regarding the survey design, questionnaire, and implementation is available from http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis/about_nhis.htm. The NHIS data are de-identified, publicly available, and exempt from institutional review board approval.

Outcome Variables

The Oral Health

Characteristics of Study Population

Among our study population of 12,090 participants, 63.1% were aged 40-64 years, and 12.8%, of these reported VI. Compared to those reporting no VI, middle-aged adults reporting VI were more likely to be women (59.8% vs 50.0%), have fair/poor health status (31.4% vs 12.2%), be current smokers (32.1% vs 20.9%), report diagnosed diabetes (18.6% vs 9.2%), have lower incomes (35.8% vs 22.0%), be single (37.5% vs 27.9%), be Non-Hispanic black (12.9% vs 10.8%), be less likely to be employed (62.6% vs

Discussion

We used publicly available data from the oral health module of the NHIS. This module was last administered in 2008. We examined the oral health status of people aged 40-64 years and ≥65 years with and without VI. We found that among older adults those with VI, compared to those without VI, had 76% greater odds of reporting poor mouth condition, were twice as likely to report mouth problems, and had 51% greater odds of reporting teeth problems. Older adults were twice as likely to report

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