Community Dental Health

cover art

Cover Date:
September 2014
Print ISSN:
0265 539X
Vol:
31
Issue:
3

Access, literacy and behavioural correlates of poor self-rated oral health amongst an Indigenous South Australian population

Community Dental Health (2014) 31, 167–171 Received 21 October 2013; Accepted 12 March 2014

© BASCD 2014 doi:10.1922/CDH_3316Jones05

Access, literacy and behavioural correlates of poor self-rated oral health amongst an Indigenous South Australian population

Objective: To better understand the determinants of self-rated oral health within an Indigenous population by: 1, examining potential individual-level correlates of socio-demographic, health behaviours, dental care access and oral health literacy-related outcomes with self-rated oral health; and, 2, examining the relative contribution of these domains to self-rated oral health in multivariable modelling. Methods: We conducted nested logistic regression analyses on self-reported status of ‘fair or poor’ versus ‘better’ oral health using data from a convenience sample of rural dwelling Indigenous Australians (n=468). Data were collected on background characteristics, health behaviours, access to dental care, oral health literacy-related outcome variables and REALD 30, an oral health literacy scale. Results: Overall 37.0 % of the Indigenous adult population reported fair or poor oral health. In multivariable modelling, risk indicators for fair or poor self-rated oral health that persisted after adjusting for other covariates included being aged 38+ years (OR 2.9, 95%CI 1.9,4.6), holding a Government Health Concession card (OR 2.3, 95%CI 1.1,4.5), avoiding the dentist due to financial constraints (OR 2.3, 95%CI 1.4,3.6), not knowing how to make an emergency dental visit (OR 1.7, 95%CI 1.1,2.7) and poor understanding of the prevention of dental disease (OR 1.7, 95%CI 1.1,2.7). Conclusions: In this vulnerable population, risk indicators contributing to poor self-rated oral health included socio-demographic, dental care access and oral health literacy-related factors. Health behaviours were not significant.

Key words: indigenous, self-rated oral health, risk indicator, rural, Australian, REALD

Article Price
£15.00
Institution Article Price
£0.00
Page Start
167
Page End
171
Authors
K. Jones, E.J. Parker, L.M. Jamieson

Articles from this issue

  • Title
  • Pg. Start
  • Pg. End

  1. sadcsa
  2. 0
  3. 0

  1. qwert
  2. 2
  3. 6

  1. uinj
  2. 6
  3. 99

  1. Editorial
  2. 130
  3. 131

  1. Dental Public Health in Action
  2. 132
  3. 135

  1. Frequency of daily tooth brushing: predictors of change in 9- to 11-year old US children
  2. 136
  3. 140

  1. Caries experience and treatment needs among Albanian 12-year-olds
  2. 141
  3. 144

  1. Experience of racism and tooth brushing among pregnant Aboriginal Australians: exploring psychosocial mediators
  2. 145
  3. 152

  1. Dietary intake of calcium, vitamins A and E and bleeding on probing in Sri Lankan preschoolers
  2. 153
  3. 157

  1. Type II diabetes and oral health: perceptions among adults with diabetes and oral/health care providers in Ghana
  2. 158
  3. 162

  1. Dental caries among children in Georgia by age, gender, residence location and ethnic group
  2. 163
  3. 166

  1. Access, literacy and behavioural correlates of poor self-rated oral health amongst an Indigenous South Australian population
  2. 167
  3. 171

  1. Effect of second mailing for consent on child dental survey results
  2. 172
  3. 175

  1. Evaluation of a capacity building clinical educational model for oral health clinicians treating very young children
  2. 176
  3. 182

  1. The significance of motivation in periodontal treatment: The influence of adult patients’ motivation on the clinical periodontal status
  2. 183
  3. 187

  1. Evaluation of internet search trends of some common oral problems, 2004 to 2014
  2. 188
  3. 192