Opportunities for oral cancer screening among older African-American women

Prev Med. 2003 Nov;37(5):499-506. doi: 10.1016/s0091-7435(03)00176-2.

Abstract

Background: Older persons with smoking histories are important targets for oral cancer screening. Although older persons in low-income communities often lack regular dental care, little is known about the characteristics of groups at greatest risk for poor screening.

Methods: Survey data from 576 African-American women aged 45-93 were used to identify predictors of smoking and recency and type of dental care.

Results: Fifty-nine percent of respondents were current or former smokers, and 62% reported dental care within the past 3 years. Among smokers, no recent dental care was associated with older age, worse health, not working, no regular medical provider, and no recent mammography.

Conclusions: These results suggest that episodic visits to non dentist providers offer opportunities for oral screening in high-risk populations.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Baltimore / epidemiology
  • Black or African American* / ethnology
  • Black or African American* / psychology
  • Community-Institutional Relations*
  • Dental Care / standards
  • Female
  • Health Care Surveys
  • Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
  • Health Services Accessibility / standards
  • Humans
  • Logistic Models
  • Mass Screening / organization & administration*
  • Middle Aged
  • Mouth Neoplasms / etiology
  • Mouth Neoplasms / prevention & control*
  • Multivariate Analysis
  • Needs Assessment
  • Patient Acceptance of Health Care* / ethnology
  • Patient Acceptance of Health Care* / statistics & numerical data
  • Poverty Areas
  • Qualitative Research
  • Risk Factors
  • Smoking / adverse effects
  • Smoking / ethnology
  • Socioeconomic Factors
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Women* / education
  • Women* / psychology