A survey of 415 senior citizens in Western New York, conducted by researchers at the University at Buffalo's School of Dental Medicine, found that more than half faced barriers to seeing a dentist. Not surprisingly, the most serious barrier reported was cost.
Respondents also named lack of dental insurance, anxiety about going to the dentist and not having transportation among the several barriers to receiving dental care that seniors face.
The study provides a snapshot of dental care to the elderly that could be relevant anywhere there are high concentrations of low-income older citizens.
Results of the study were presented today (March 12, 2005) at the International and American Association on Dental Research general session being held in Baltimore. Kimberley Zittel-Palamara, Ph.D., L.M.S.W., director of the Counseling, Advocacy, Referral, Education and Service (CARES) program in the UB dental school, is lead author.
Seniors participating in the study, accessed through senior-citizen centers and nutrition centers across the eight counties of Western New York, were 71 percent female, 88 percent Caucasian and 66 percent rural. The data revealed that barriers affect different age groups of seniors in different ways.
Participants were categorized as "early seniors" (ages 60-74); "middle seniors" (ages 75-84) and "late seniors" (ages 85 and older). The researchers combined the barriers that were named most often into three categories: anxiety/depression, transportation/weather and finances.
Analysis showed that anxiety/depression was the most significant barrier named by early seniors, accounting for more than half the barrier effect. However, as age increased, the impact of anxiety decreased and eventually disappeared, while the importance of transportat
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Contact: Lois Baker
ljbaker@buffalo.edu
716-645-5000 x1417
University at Buffalo
12-Mar-2005