Oral Health Disparities in Dementia and Marginalized Communities: Determinants and Interventions

TL;DR

This symposium explores oral health disparities in older adults, especially those with dementia and marginalized groups, and proposes tailored interventions to improve oral health equity.

Contribution

The symposium introduces tailored community-based interventions and innovative methodologies like machine learning and smart toothbrushes to address oral health disparities.

Findings

Social vulnerability and climate zones are key predictors of edentulism in U.S. census tracts.

Financial hardship and fewer natural teeth are linked to poorer oral health-related quality of life in Chinese American dementia caregivers.

Structured coaching improves oral hygiene in individuals with mild dementia and sustains improvements in plaque and gingival indices.

Abstract

This symposium presents a comprehensive examination of oral health disparities in older adults, with a focus on those with dementia and from marginalized communities. The first presentation employs machine learning (ie., XGBoost) to analyze social and physical environmental determinants of edentulism across 38,379 census tracts, identifying social vulnerability and climate zones as key predictors. The second study investigates oral health-related quality of life among Chinese American dementia caregivers, revealing that financial hardship and fewer natural teeth are associated with poorer outcomes. The third presentation evaluates a care partner-assisted intervention using behavioral change techniques to improve oral hygiene in individuals with mild dementia, demonstrating the potential of structured coaching. Finally, in the same randomized controlled trial, the authors assessed the effectiveness of a smart toothbrush intervention with and without personalized coaching, showing sustained improvements in plaque and gingival indices with coaching. Together, these studies highlight the need for tailored, community-based approaches to address oral health disparities and showcase innovative methodologies for gerontological research. By integrating advanced analytics, mixed-methods, and clinical trials, this symposium offers robust evidence to inform interventions and policies aimed at improving oral health equity for vulnerable older adults. Oral Health Interest Group Sponsored Symposium