title: Unmet dental need in community-dwelling adults with mental illness: results from the 2007 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Mental illness (MI) affects approximately one in five U.S. adults, and it is associated with oral disease and poor dental treatment outcomes. Little is known about dental care utilization or unmet dental need in this population.
  
  
  METHODS
  The authors examined data regarding presence or absence of dental visits and unmet dental need in community-dwelling adults with MI from the 2007 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. They tested differences between adults with and without MI by using multivariate logistic regression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eighteen percent of adults (N = 19,368) had MI, and of these, 6.8 percent had unmet dental need. Although people with MI were not significantly more likely to have had a dental visit (46.3 percent) than were those without MI (42.2 percent; odds ratio [OR], 1.09; 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.97-1.23), they were significantly more likely to report unmet need (11.0 versus 5.3 percent; OR, 2.00; 95 percent CI, 1.67-2.41). Those with mood or anxiety disorders were most likely to report having an unmet dental need (P < .001 for all values).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although people with MI did not visit the dentist significantly more often than did adults without MI, their higher level of unmet need suggests that current use of dental services is not addressing their needs adequately.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Dentists should be familiar with MI conditions as patients with MI may have greater unmet dental need.
authors: Department of Oral Health Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of Washington, 1959 N.E. Pacific St., Box 357475, Seattle, Wash. 98195-7475, USA. LHeaton@uw.edu
authors: Lisa J
authors: LJ
authors: Heaton
authors: Lloyd A
authors: LA
authors: Mancl
authors: David
authors: D
authors: Grembowski
authors: Jason M
authors: JM
authors: Armfield
authors: Peter
authors: P
authors: Milgrom
mesh_terms: D000038:Abscess / Q000453:epidemiology; D000328:Adult; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D003442:Crowns / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003729:Dental Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003793:Dental Restoration, Permanent / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004522:Educational Status; D004651:Employment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006306:Health Surveys / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D057187:Independent Living / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007347:Insurance, Dental / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007348:Insurance, Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D028642:Persons with Psychiatric Disorders / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D014076:Tooth Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D014081:Tooth Extraction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D035862:Vulnerable Populations / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult