Clinical oral status in users of VA medical care

Jones J, Kressin N, Spiro III, Miller D, Kazis L, Garcia R. Clinical oral status in users of VA medical care. Paper presented at: International Association for Dental Research General Annual Session; 1999 Jun 1; Vancouver, Canada.

The Department of Veterans Affairs operates the largest health care system in the U.S.A., yet few data are available on the oral health status of patients receiving medical care in this system. The purpose of this project was to describe the clinical oral health status of users of VA medical (but not dental) care. 538 male veterans (mean age = 62 years) were recruited from the Veterans Health Study, a longitudinal study of health/functional status in medically comprised veterans who regulary use VA outpatient medical care. The sample was largely white (93%), with a mean of 12.7 years of education and an average household income of $20,000; 21% were current and 56% were former smokers. A brief clinical examination was conducted by a trained and calibrated examiner (CW). Bivariate analyses showed that tooth loss (edentulism ranged from 8-34%), coronal DMFS (range 70-113) and DMFT (range 21-27), RCI_DF (range 0.1-0.22) and the percent of the persons with mobile teeth (35-55%) were significantly greater in the older age groups (p < 0.01). In contrast, no age-related differences were seen for mucosa scores (means 0.6-0.7), or CPITN (means = 2-2.2). Clinical findings were consistent with patient-perceived health status. In conclusion, this sample of VA medical patients had significant oral health needs. Further, patterns of oral conditions and need for dental care parallel that of the general community. This study was funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs HSRandD Service.