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Online Program

325093
Oral Health Status of Adults aged ≥ 40 years with Vision Impairment or Eye Diseases: Findings from the National Health Interview Survey, 2008


Tuesday, November 3, 2015 : 8:30 a.m. - 8:50 a.m.

John E. Crews, DPA, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Vision Health Initiative, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
Chiu-Fang Chou, Dr PH, The Vision Health Initiative, CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/The DB Consulting, Atlanta, GA
Jinan B. Saaddine, MD, MPH, National Vision Program, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
Shillpa Naavaal, BDS, MPH, MS, Division of Oral Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA

Objective: We examined the association of vision impairment or eye disease (VI/ED) with oral health (OH) status among adults aged ≥ 40 years.

Methods: We used responses from 12,090 adults aged ≥40 years who participated in the 2008 National Health Interview Survey. We classified respondents as having VI/ED if they reported any trouble seeing, even when wearing glasses or contact lenses” or macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, or cataract.  Using multiple logistic regression, we examined the association between VI/ED and OH status,  measured by self-reported perceived OH (very good/good and fair/poor), teeth problems (toothache/sensitive teeth, bleeding gums, crooked teeth, broken/missing teeth, stained/discolored teeth, loose teeth, broken/missing fillings), and mouth problems (pain in jaw, sores in mouth, difficult eating, bad breath, dry mouth) stratified by age controlling for sociodemographic characteristics (sex, marital status, race/ethnicity, education, income) smoking status, diagnosed diabetes, and health status. We considered differences statistically significant at p<0.05.

Results: 28.5% reported VI/ED; 26.1% reported fair/poor perceived OH. Those aged 40-64 years with VI/ED reported a greater odds of fair/ poor perceived OH (odds ratio [OR]=1.67;95% confidence interval [CI] 1.43-1.94), teeth problems (OR=1.79;95%CI=1.54-2.07), and mouth problems (OR=2.31;95%CI=2.01-2.66) compared to respondents without VI/ED.  Older adults (aged ≥65 years) with VI/ED reported a similar but less pronounced pattern of OH problems compared with younger adults (aged between 40 and 64 years).      

Conclusion: Findings suggest adults with self-reported VI/ED had poorer OH status than those without VI/ED.  Additional research could explore reasons for these differences, including barriers/facilitators to use of dental care.

Learning Areas:

Epidemiology
Provision of health care to the public
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
Identify differences in oral health status between people with and without self-reported vision impairment and eye diseases.

Keyword(s): Vision Care, Oral Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have worked in the field of vision rehabilitation and vision research for almost 40 years. I have published over 100 papers.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 4060.0: Oral Health and Vision Care: A Collaborative Session