2012/01/19 by Susan O. Griffin, Judith A. Jones, Diane Brunson +2 · 2 citations
Dentistry · #Dental Health and Care Utilization #Dental Research and COVID-19 #Oral microbiology and periodontitis research
paper · doi:10.2105/ajph.2011.300362
openalex publication_date 2012/01/19 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
Dental disease is largely preventable. Many older adults, however, experience poor oral health. National data for older adults show racial/ethnic and income disparities in untreated dental disease and oral health-related quality of life. Persons reporting poor versus good health also report lower oral health-related quality of life. On the basis of these findings, suggested public health priorities include better integrating oral health into medical care, implementing community programs to promote healthy behaviors and improve access to preventive services, developing a comprehensive strategy to address the oral health needs of the homebound and long-term-care residents, and assessing the feasibility of ensuring a safety net that covers preventive and basic restorative services to eliminate pain and infection.