title: Edentulism trends among middle-aged and older adults in the United States: comparison of five racial/ethnic groups.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study examined edentulism trends among adults aged 50 and above in five ethnic groups in the United States: Asians, African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, and non-Hispanic Caucasians.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data came from the National Health Interview Surveys between 1999 and 2008. Respondents included 616 Native Americans, 2,666 Asians, 15,295 African Americans, 13,068 Hispanics, and 86,755 Caucasians.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 2008, Native Americans had the highest predicated rate of edentulism (23.98%), followed by African Americans (19.39%), Caucasians (16.90%), Asians (14.22%), and Hispanics (14.18%). Overall, there was a significant downward trend in edentulism rates between 1999 and 2008 (OR = 0.97, 95% CI: 0.96, 0.98). However, compared with Caucasians, Native Americans showed a significantly less decline of edentulism during this period (OR = 1.10, 95% CI: 1.02, 1.19).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  While there was a downward trend in edentulism between 1999 and 2008, significant variations existed across racial/ethnic groups. Innovative public health programs and services are essential to prevent oral health diseases and conditions for minority populations who lack access to adequate dental care. Additionally, given the increasing numbers of adults retaining their natural teeth, interventions designed to assist individuals in maintaining healthy teeth becomes more critical.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Duke University, Durham, NC 277170, USA. bei.wu@duke.edu
authors.forename: Bei
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Jersey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Brenda L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Plassman
authors.forename: Corey
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Remle
authors.forename: Xiao
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Luo
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001213:Asian / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D044383:Black People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007198:Indians, North American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009066:Mouth, Edentulous / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D044469:Racial Groups / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012307:Risk Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001741:Black or African American