Access to dental care and blood pressure profiles in adults with high socioeconomic status.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Reduced access to dental care may increase cardiovascular risk; however, socioeconomic factors are believed to confound the associations. We hypothesized that the relation persists despite economic wellness and high education, with reduced access to dental care affecting cardiovascular risk at least in part through its effect on blood pressure (BP), possibly mediated by systemic inflammation.

Methods

We first assessed the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics related to last dental visit timing (≤ or >6 months; self-reported) using national representative cross-sectional data. Then, the association of last dental visit timing with clinic BP was selectively investigated in highly educated, high income participants, further matched for residual demographic a

SUBMITTER: Del Pinto R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9542004 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature