title: Factors Associated with Tooth Loss in Older Adults in Rural Colorado.
abstract: The purpose of this paper is to examine factors that are associated with tooth loss in older adults living in the San Luis Valley (SLV), Colorado, which is a rural and large geographical area (roughly the size of Connecticut) that has a large population age 60 years or older. Data used in this manuscript were collected as a part of the SLV Community Health Survey. The analyzed sample included 308 adults over the age of 65 years who completed the survey. Basic descriptive statistics and a series of step-wise binary logistic regression analyses were conducted; the dependent variable was the number of permanent teeth removed because of tooth decay or gum disease. Fifty-two percent of the participants were male, Hispanic participants made up 40 % of the sample and 76 % of the participants had at least a high school education. Tooth loss was significantly associated with older age (OR = 1.09; p = 0.02), lower income (OR = 0.01; p = 0.00), less than high school education (OR = 0.32; p = 0.01), being Hispanic (OR = 2.15; p = 0.05), self-reported fair-poor health status (OR 2.94; p = 0.02), consumption of one or more than one sweet beverage per day (OR = 4.52; p = 0.00), no dental insurance (OR = 4.70; p = 0.01) and length of time since last dental visit (OR = 0.21; p = 0.01). The findings of the present study suggest possible causes for tooth loss in rural adults and underscore the need for in-depth research to study the overall oral health of rural older adults living in SLV.
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Dentistry, School Of Dental Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, 13065 East 17th Avenue, Room 104T, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA. Tamanna.tiwari@ucdenver.edu.
authors.forename: Tamanna
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tiwari
authors.affiliation: Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, 13001 East 17th Place B119, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA.
authors.forename: Sharon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Scarbro
authors.affiliation: Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, 13001 East 17th Place B119, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA.
authors.forename: Lucinda L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Bryant
authors.affiliation: Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, 13001 East 17th Place B119, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA.|Rocky Mountain Prevention Research Center, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, 13001 East 17th Place B119, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA.
authors.forename: Jini
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Puma
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002253:Carbonated Beverages / Q000009:adverse effects; D003120:Colorado / Q000453:epidemiology; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000150:complications; D003753:Dental Health Surveys; D000073417:Dietary Sugars / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D012423:Rural Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D016388:Tooth Loss / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology
chemical_list: D000073417:Dietary Sugars
keywords: Older adults; Rural communities; Sam Luis valley; Tooth loss