Food insecurity and oral health in older adults.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Household food insecurity, defined as inconsistent access to sufficient food in a household, affects 1 in 15 individuals over the age of 60 years in the US. In these individuals it is associated with numerous chronic conditions, medication underuse leading to poorly controlled conditions such as diabetes and hypertension, and poor oral health. However, the relationship between food insecurity and oral health is understudied. We therefore evaluated the associations between food insecurity and aspects of oral health in older US adults.

Methods

We prospectively evaluated a subset of participants of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) who responded to questions evaluating food insecurity in 2013 and a supplemental questionnaire regarding dental health and dental h

SUBMITTER: Merchant AT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11540812 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature