title: Prevalence of past-year dental visit among US adults, 1999-2010: comparison of trends and estimates between the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and three national surveys.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare estimated prevalence of past-year dental visit (PPYDV) among US adults aged ≥18 years from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) to estimates from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), and National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).
  
  
  METHODS
  We estimated PPYDV adjusted for covariates (age, race/ethnicity, education level, poverty status, edentulism) using BRFSS, MEPS, and NHIS 1999-2010, and NHANES 1999-2004. We tested trend in overall PPYDV for BRFSS, MEPS, and NHIS from 1999-2010. For 2002 and 2010, we calculated absolute differences (AD) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) in PPYDV between BRFSS and each of the other surveys overall and among subpopulations defined by covariates. We pooled NHANES 1999-2004 data for comparison with BRFSS 2002.
  
  
  RESULTS
  From 1999 to 2010, BRFSS (68.5% vs. 67.5%), MEPS (43.5% vs. 39.7%), and NHIS (63.3% vs. 59.7%) showed small but significant decreases in overall PPYDV. In 2002, estimates for overall PPYDV were highest for BRFSS (70.0%) and lowest for MEPS (43.9%) with estimates for NHIS (61.5%) and NHANES (1999-2004: 58.1%) in between; the largest AD (26.2%, 95% CI: 25.0%-27.3%) was between BRFSS and MEPS. ADs were consistent in 2002 and 2010, overall and by covariates, except among edentate persons, where PPYDV estimates from BRFSS and NHIS were similar.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Estimates of PPYDV from BRFSS were notably higher than estimates from MEPS, NHIS, or NHANES except among the edentate. Trends in PPYDV over time, however, were consistent across all surveys.
authors.affiliation: Division of Oral Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Mei
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Northrop Grumman Corp, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Chien-Hsun
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: DB Consulting Group, Inc, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: Division of Oral Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Shillpa
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Naavaal
authors.affiliation: IDONEOUS Consulting, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Shellie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kolavic Gray
authors.affiliation: School of Dentistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Michael C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Manz
authors.affiliation: Division of Oral Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Laurie
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0215-5669
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Barker
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D040343:Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System; D003752:Dental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003753:Dental Health Surveys; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D015995:Prevalence; D014481:United States
keywords: adults; dental care use; health surveys; population surveillance