Dental health status, dentist visiting, and dental insurance of Asian immigrants in Canada

Abstract

Objective This study examined the dental care utilization and self-preserved dental health of Asian immigrants relative to non-immigrants in Canada. Factors associated with oral health-related disparities between Asian immigrants and other Canadians were further examined. Methods We analyzed 37,935 Canadian residents aged 12 years and older in the Canadian Community Health Survey 2012–2014 microdata file. Factors (e.g., demographics, socioeconomic status, lifestyles, dental insurance coverage, and year of immigration) associated with disparities in dental health (e.g., self-perceived teeth health, dental symptoms during past one month, and teeth removed due to decay in past one year) and service utilization (e.g., visiting dentist within the last three years, visiting dentist more than once per year) between Asian immigrants and other Canadians were examined using multi-variable logistic regression models. Results The frequency of dental care utilization was significantly lower in Asian immigrants than their non-immigrant counterparts. Asian immigrants had lower self-perceived dental health, were less likely to be aware of recent dental symptoms, and more likely to report tooth extractions due to tooth decay. Low education (OR = 0.42), male gender(OR = 1.51), low household income(OR = 1.60), non-diabetes(OR = 1.87), no dental insurance(OR = 0.24), short immigration length (OR = 1.75) may discourage Asian immigrants from dental care utilization. Additionally, a perceived lack of necessity to dentist-visiting was a crucial factor accounting for the disparities in dental care uptake between Asian immigrants and non-immigrants. Conclusion Asian immigrants showed lower dental care utilization and oral health than native-born Canadians.

Dental Insurance Coverage, Dentist Visiting, and Oral Health Status among Asian Immigrant Women of Childbearing Age in Canada: A Comparative Study

“…The findings from this study revealed that Asian immigrant women possessed equivalently good self-perceived health and a significantly lower prevalence of dental symptoms among the three groups. Among numerous risk factors which affected dental health status, marital status and age were two factors that significantly correlated with Asian immigrants' prevalence of dental symptoms [23]. However, the results in this study did not show any such factors correlating with prevalence of dental symptoms in female Asian immigrants of child-bearing age.…”

“…Moreover, our earlier investigation showed no significant difference of the dental symptoms' occurrence between the whole Asian immigrants with Canadian-born residents. This study reveals a lower risk of experiencing dental symptoms among Asian female immigrants [23]. The findings from this study revealed that Asian immigrant women possessed equivalently good self-perceived health and a significantly lower prevalence of dental symptoms among the three groups.…”

“…In certain high-income countries, including the United Kingdom and Australia, migrants from developing nations are also identified as being at risk for suboptimal oral health [30,31]. This trend was evident in our previous research, where Asian migrants frequently assessed their dental health as "fair" or "poor" [23]. However, this study reveals a more positive perspective regarding the dental health status of female Asian immigrants in their childbearing years.…”

“…It is surprising that the topic of oral health and dentist visiting behavior for women at their childbearing age is noticeably silent, despite extensive literature focused on pregnant women's dental health and their dental care-seeking behaviors. In contrast to the broader population aged 12 and above examined in a previous study by our team, this research as an outgrowth focuses specifically on women of childbearing age [23]. This demographic encompasses women aged 20 to 39 years.…”

The role of income and frequency of dental visits in the relationship between dental sealant use and resin fillings after extended coverage: a retrospective cohort study

“…However, it was impossible to determine the legitimacy of the treatment because the NHID provided only data on the dental service claimed not oral health status. Secondly, dental visits are guessed to be associated with socioeconomic conditions: the higher the household income or education level, the higher the possibility of dental visits [ 55 – 60 ]. Socioeconomic inequalities in dental visits start from an early stage of life and accumulate over time, thus inducing undesirable effects, especially in patients of low socioeconomic status [ 61 ].…”