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US Worker Dental Care Access & Unmet Dental Needs:

Impact of Oral Health Care Oral Health Care Objectives of Healthy People 2010 Dental Insurance through Employers? Study Objective: Determine the proportion of US

workers meeting Health People 2010 oral health care objectives. Meeting NORA Priority Area

The National Health Interview Survey 1997 to 2003 AJ. Caban-Martinez, DJ. Lee, LE. Fleming W LeBlanc, K Arheart,

K Chung-Bridges, SL Christ, T PitmanDept Epidemiology & Public Health (University of Miami Miller School of Medicine),

Odum Research Institute (UNC Chapel Hill, NC)

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National Health Interview Survey (NHIS)

Multipurpose and multistage area probability cross-sectional survey of US population National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) Working Adults > 18 years interviewed1997-2003 Employment Classification Health behaviors

SUDAAN

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Results66,616 Male workers and 68,388 female workers participated 1997-2003Among 41 Occupational Groups reporting No Dental Visit in past 12 months:

19-58% of male workers 18-50% of female workers

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Results Occupations in which the majority of male workers had not seen a

dentist in the past year included: Forestry and fishing occupations Construction laborers Farm workers and other agricultural workers Food service workers Freight and stock material handlers

Occupations for female workers with reported highest rates of unmet dental needs:

Construction and extractive trade workers Construction laborers Food service workers

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Conclusion/Recommendations Substantial variability in oral care utilization

in different worker groups Reliance on employers for dental health

insurance leads to disparities Continued surveillance of unmet dental

needs and oral health care utilization using the NHIS

Thank you / Questions?Thank you / Questions?