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Is Accessibility to Dental Care Facilities in Rural Areas Associated with Number of Teeth in Elderly Residents?

Author

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  • Tsuyoshi Hamano

    (Institute of General Education, Kyoto Sangyo University, Motoyama, Kamigamo, Kita-ku, Kyoto 603-8555, Japan
    Department of Functional Pathology, Shimane University School of Medicine, 89-1 Enya-cho, Izumo, Shimane 693-8501, Japan)

  • Miwako Takeda

    (Center for Community-Based Health Research and Education (CoHRE), Organization for the Promotion of Project Research, Shimane University, 223-8 Enya-cho, Izumo, Shimane 693-8501, Japan)

  • Kazumichi Tominaga

    (Tominaga Dental Office, 97-3 Yamada, Ohnan-cho, Ohchi, Shimane 696-0313, Japan)

  • Kristina Sundquist

    (Center for Primary Health Care Research, Lund University, Clinical Research Centre (CRC), Building 28, Floor 11, Jan Waldenströms Gata 35, Skåne University Hospital, SE-205 02 Malmö, Sweden
    Stanford Prevention Research Center, Stanford University, Medical School Office Building (MSOB), 251 Campus Drive MC 5411, Stanford, CA 94305, USA)

  • Toru Nabika

    (Department of Functional Pathology, Shimane University School of Medicine, 89-1 Enya-cho, Izumo, Shimane 693-8501, Japan
    Center for Community-Based Health Research and Education (CoHRE), Organization for the Promotion of Project Research, Shimane University, 223-8 Enya-cho, Izumo, Shimane 693-8501, Japan)

Abstract

Given that public transportation networks are less developed in rural than in urban areas, a lack of accessibility to dental care facilities could be a barrier to routine dental checkups. Thus, we hypothesized that the distance to the dental care facilities is a risk factor for tooth loss. The aim of this study was to test whether there is an association between the distance to dental care facilities, estimated by geographic information systems, and number of teeth, assessed by an oral examination, among elderly residents of a rural area in Japan. Data were collected in 2016 from a cross-sectional study conducted in Shimane prefecture, Japan. After excluding participants with missing data ( n = 21), we analyzed data from 710 participants. Of them, 40.6% were male and the mean (standard deviation) age was 67.4 (7.4) years. Further, 68.0% ( n = 483) had at least 20 teeth. We found that the distance to dental care facilities was significantly associated with the number of teeth (less than 20) (odds ratio = 1.07, 95% confidence interval = 1.01–1.12) after adjustment for potential confounders. This result suggested that individuals without easy access to dental care facilities may be important targets for dental care.

Suggested Citation

  • Tsuyoshi Hamano & Miwako Takeda & Kazumichi Tominaga & Kristina Sundquist & Toru Nabika, 2017. "Is Accessibility to Dental Care Facilities in Rural Areas Associated with Number of Teeth in Elderly Residents?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(3), pages 1-6, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:14:y:2017:i:3:p:327-:d:93709
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Tsuyoshi Hamano & Yoshiya Shiotani & Miwako Takeda & Takafumi Abe & Kristina Sundquist & Toru Nabika, 2017. "Is the Effect of Body Mass Index on Hypertension Modified by the Elevation? A Cross-Sectional Study of Rural Areas in Japan," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-6, September.
    2. Gerardo Santoyo-Sánchez & César Merino-Soto & Sergio Flores-Hernández & Blanca Estela Pelcastre-Villafuerte & Hortensia Reyes-Morales, 2022. "Content Validity of a Scale Designed to Measure the Access of Older Adults to Outpatient Health Services," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(16), pages 1-16, August.
    3. Helder Costa & Pedro Lopes & Maria José Correia & Patrícia Couto & Ana Margarida Silva & Joaquin Francisco López-Marcos & Nélio Veiga, 2024. "Oral Health Literacy and Determinants among an Elderly Community in Portugal," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 21(6), pages 1-10, June.
    4. Cornelia Melinda Adi Santoso & Taufan Bramantoro & Minh Chau Nguyen & Zsuzsa Bagoly & Attila Nagy, 2020. "Factors Affecting Dental Service Utilisation in Indonesia: A Population-Based Multilevel Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(15), pages 1-11, July.
    5. Lee, Jong Youl & Rajan, Balaraman & (Avi) Seidmann, Abraham, 2024. "Optimal location of remote dental units," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 312(3), pages 969-977.
    6. Xiaodong Di & Lijian Wang & Xiuliang Dai & Liu Yang, 2020. "Assessing the Accessibility of Home-Based Healthcare Services for the Elderly: A Case from Shaanxi Province, China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(19), pages 1-16, September.

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