Oral health, related behaviors and oral health impacts among homeless adults.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the oral health needs, related behavior and oral health impact among homeless persons in Newark, New Jersey.


METHODS
Participants represented a convenience sample of adults (n=46) participating in Homeless Services Day, an annual event sponsored by the Homeless Services Division of the Newark, NJ Department of Health and Human Services. Their mean age was 40.4 yr (SD=10.0), and 51.1% were female. The majority (76%) reported African-American ethnicity; remaining participants self-identified as Hispanic, White or Asian. Participants reported being homeless for a median of 11 months, with a range of 1 to 108 months.


RESULTS
The 46 participants had 745 teeth (averaged 16.2 per person) that were either missing, had fillings or had untreated decay. Diseased teeth averaged 3.8 per person; missing teeth averaged 8.6 per person; and filled teeth averaged 3.7 per person. Only 28.3% had a dental visit in the past year. Approximately 87% reported negative oral health impacts impact: over half (55.6%) had current oral facial pain and two-thirds of our participants reported having dental-related face pain during the past year. Additional oral health impacts included: eating (42%), smiling (33%), concentrating (18%) and talking (16%).


CONCLUSIONS
Consistent with other studies, this homeless sample presented with considerable oral health needs. Newark's homeless, like other homeless cohorts, face access to care and negative oral health impacts. This study informs the need for future research that can provide substantive evidence for care providers and policy makers.
Conte
Michael
M
UMDNJ-New Jersey Dental School, Department of Community Health, Newark, NJ 07103-2400, USA.
Broder
Hillary L
HL
Jenkins
George
G
Reed
Rebecca
R
Janal
Malvin N
MN
D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001213:Asian / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004245:DMF Index; D003729:Dental Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology; D003793:Dental Restoration, Permanent / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004435:Eating / Q000502:physiology; D005157:Facial Pain / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006703:Ill-Housed Persons / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D020380:Needs Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009515:New Jersey / Q000453:epidemiology; D009909:Oral Health; D012904:Smiling; D013060:Speech / Q000502:physiology; D013997:Time Factors; D016388:Tooth Loss / Q000453:epidemiology; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data