title: Impact of mood disorders on oral health-care utilization among middle-aged and older adults.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Good oral health improves quality of life and is an integral part of active aging. Similar to some other systemic diseases, mood disorders are more prevalent in middle to older ages and have an associated risk of developing poor oral health. Consequently, people with mood disorders need to have regular dental care. There is scarce evidence in Canada linking mood disorders to the use of professional oral care services. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between mood disorders and utilization of oral health-care services in a population-based sample of middle aged and older adults in Canada.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were extracted from Canadian Community Health Survey - Healthy Aging, 2008. Multinomial logistic regression was used to investigate the association between mood disorders and oral care utilization, adjusted for the confounders.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among 30,354 respondents included in our sample, 2162 (6.9%) reported having mood disorders. After adjusting for age, sex, education, marital status, and dental insurance status, the respondents who had mood disorders had a significant increased odds of not visiting a dental professional in the past year (OR:1.21, 95% CI: 1.08-1.35). The association of never visiting a dental professional and mood disorders was even stronger (OR: 1.49, 95% CI: 0.91-2.46).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Mood disorders were found to have a strong association with underutilization of oral care services among aging adults of Canada. Given the associated poor oral health risks for elderly with mood disorders, oral health planners should strengthen the implementation of surveillance programs directed toward better oral health for this disadvantaged subpopulation.
authors.affiliation: School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
authors.forename: Anjali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mago
authors.forename: Thankam P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Thyvalikakath
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002170:Canada; D003710:Demography; D003729:Dental Care / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000150:complications*
keywords: dental health; epidemiology; geriatrics; mood disorder; oral care utilization; public health policy