Dental and other health care visits among US adults with diabetes

OBJECTIVE - This study compared yearly dental visits of diabetic adults wit h those of non-diabetic adults. For adults with diabetes, we compared the f requency of past-year dental visits with past-year visits for diabetes care , dilated eye examinations, and foot examinations. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS - We conducted a cross-sectional study using a sample of 105,718 dentate individuals aged greater than or equal to 25 year s, including 4,605 individuals with diabetes who participated in the 1995-1 998 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System in 38 stares. RESULTS - Dentate adults (i.e., those with at least some natural teeth) wit h diabetes were less likely than those without diabetes to have seen a dent ist within the preceding 12 months (65.8 vs. 73.1%, P = 0.0000). Adults wit h diabetes were less likely to have seen a dentist than to have seen a heal th care provider for diabetes care (86.3%); the percentage who saw a dentis t was comparable with the percentage who had their feet examined (67.7%) or had a dilated eye examination (62.3%). The disparity in dental visits amon g racial or ethnic groups and among socioeconomic groups was greater than t hat for any other type of health care visit for subjects with diabetes. CONCLUSIONS - Promotion of oral health among diabetic patients may be neces sary, particularly in Hispanic and African-American communities. Informatio n on oral health complications should be included in clinical training prog rams. Oral and diabetes control programs in state health departments should collaborate to promote preventive dental services, and the oral examinatio n should be listed as a component of continuous care in the American Diabet es Association's standards of medical care for diabetic patients.