Role of Patient's Ethnicity in Seeking Preventive Dental Services at the Community Health Centers of South-Central Texas: A Cross-Sectional Study

Girish Suresh Shelke; Rochisha Singh Marwaha; Pankil Shah; Suman Challa

doi:10.3390/dj11020032

Role of Patient's Ethnicity in Seeking Preventive Dental Services at the Community Health Centers of South-Central Texas: A Cross-Sectional Study

Dent J (Basel). 2023 Jan 28;11(2):32. doi: 10.3390/dj11020032.

Authors

Girish Suresh Shelke^{1

2}, Rochisha Singh Marwaha¹, Pankil Shah³, Suman Challa¹

Affiliations

¹ School of Dentistry, University of Texas. Health Science Center San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA.
² The Helping Restore Ability, Arlington, TX 76018, USA.
³ Department of Urology, University of Texas. Health Science Center San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA.

Abstract

Background: This study was conducted to determine the impact of a patient's ethnicity on seeking preventive dental services at the Community Health Centers (CHCs) in South-Central Texas.

Methods: Primary electronic health records (EHR) data were collected regarding each patient's medical and dental history, and comprehensive treatment planning. The researchers retrieved EHR from January 2016 to 2022. Bivariate analysis was completed to test the outcome with the predictor variable and covariates using the appropriate statistical tests. A multiple linear regression model was used to understand the association between the predictor and outcome variable while controlling for confounders.

Results: The study findings revealed significantly higher dental visits (2.26 ± 2.88) for Hispanic patients. The results from the multiple regression model indicated that non-Hispanic patients had a smaller chance of visiting CHC for preventive dental services, by eight percent, compared to the Hispanic population (p-value < 0.001) when all other variables were held constant. However, the study results were not significant, as the effect size was too small to conclude the effect of ethnicity on the patients visiting the dental clinic at the CHC for preventive services.

Conclusion: The study concluded that there is no difference in the preventive dental services completed by Hispanics and non-Hispanics when all other variables are controlled.

Keywords: preventive visits; rural dental care; rural vs. urban.

Grants and funding

This program is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $3.25 million with 0% financed with nongovernmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.