title: Barriers to dental services for older adults.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore barriers to older adults' accessing dental care.
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed oral exams on 184 community-dwelling older adults; those who needed dental care were contacted 6-12 weeks later to determine if they were able to access treatment. Those who could not access care were interviewed regarding barriers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of those examined, 89% needed dental treatment. After 6 weeks, 52% had received treatment, 48% had not. Those unable to access treatment had fewer teeth, were more likely to be referred regarding dentures, and were less likely to have a dentist. Reasons cited for not accessing care among the 35 participants we interviewed included a lack of finances, transportation, or assistance in navigating dental service.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Older adults have a high burden of oral disease and access barriers remain.
authors.affiliation: The Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education, City College of New York, New York, NY, USA. TMontini@med.cuny.edu.
authors.forename: Theresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Montini
authors.affiliation: New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Tuo-Yen
authors.initials: TY
authors.lastname: Tseng
authors.affiliation: University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Helly
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.affiliation: New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Donna
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Shelley
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016321:Dental Care for Aged / Q000191:economics / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003778:Dentures / Q000191:economics; D005260:Female; D005850:Geriatric Dentistry / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D054625:Healthcare Disparities / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D007347:Insurance, Dental; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D013997:Time Factors; D014186:Transportation