Identifying unaddressed systemic health conditions at dental visits: Patients who visited dental practices but not general health care providers in 2008

Shiela M. Strauss, Michael C. Alfano, Donna Shelley, Terry Fulmer

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

We assessed the proportion and characteristics of patientswho do not regularly visit general health care providers but do visit dentists and whose unaddressed systemic health conditions could therefore be identified by their dentist. Of the 26.0% of children and 24.1% of adults that did not access general outpatient health care in 2008, 34.7% and 23.1%, respectively, visited a dentist. They varied by census region, family income, and sociodemographics. Dental practices can serve as alternate sites of opportunity to identify health concerns among diverse groups of US patients.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)253-255
Number of pages3
JournalAmerican journal of public health
Volume102
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 2012

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

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