by Lynda Flowers, Olivia Dean and Teresa
Keenan | 04/12/2019
Oral health
conditions—like untreated cavities, gum disease, and tooth loss—are not inevitable consequences of aging.
Access to adequate dental care among older adults can prevent or delay these
problems and may lead to overall improvements in health and well-being among
seniors.
A robust body of
literature—including a seminal reportby
the U.S. Surgeon General—finds a clear connection between oral health and
physical health, including health conditions that are prevalent among older
adults—like diabetes and heart disease. Yet, many older adults go without the
care they need to maintain healthy teeth and gums. Despite this evidence,
Medicare does not cover commonly
needed oral health procedures like routine cleanings, treatment for cavities (a
fertile breeding ground for bad bacteria), or tooth extractions.
To better understand the
issue, AARP fielded a survey to learn more about older adults’ current oral
health needs, barriers they face obtaining oral health care, and the value they
place on having regular access to such care. [1],[2] Here’s what we learned
from respondents ages 65 and older.
Older Adults Have
Significant Unmet Oral Health Needs
The mouth has both good and bad bacteria.
The good aid digestion; the bad cause tooth decay, gum disease, and can course
through the body, possibly worsening chronic health conditions. Regular dental
cleanings help keep bad bacteria at bay, yet, many older adults go without this
basic care. Our survey results bore this out, finding that significant numbers
of older adults have unmet oral health needs. More than a third of respondents
ages 65 and older (38 percent) had not seen a dentist or dental
hygienist in over a year or more, and 1 in 6 (16 percent) had not seen a
dentist in over five years. Almost half (45 percent) delayed or did not
receive needed oral health care in the past two years. Over a third (36
percent) said they needed a basic dental cleaning.
Older Adults Value Oral
Health Care and Dental Coverage
Our survey found that
the vast majority (93 percent) of respondents ages 65 and older value
having healthy teeth and gums. Most (90 percent) said that oral health
care is extremely or very important to a person’s overall general health, and (80
percent) said that regular dental visits are just as important as regular
doctor (or other healthcare professional) visits. In fact, they are willing to
put their money where their mouths are, with most (62
percent) saying they would support adding a dental benefit to
Medicare even if their costs would increase.[3]
Cost is a Barrier to
Obtaining Oral Health Care among Older Adults
Despite clear evidence
that oral health care is beneficial for older adults, they simply can’t afford it.
Not only can older adults ill-afford to pay for the care themselves, they are
also unable to afford private dental insurance. Our findings underscore this.
Over half of respondents (55 percent) reported not having any dental
coverage, and more than a third (36 percent) were somewhat to extremely
concerned about being able to pay their dental bills in next 12 months. Among
those who delayed or did not get dental care, half (52 percent) cited
cost reasons and a third (34 percent) cited lack of insurance.
A Gnawing Problem:
Improving Access to Affordable Dental Care for Older Adults
Our survey clearly
demonstrates that older adults want to maintain healthy teeth and gums as they
age. They also want and need access to regular dental care, yet many can’t
afford it and are going without. Although evidence points to a strong
connection between dental health and overall health, older adults lack access
to routine dental care through Medicare. While our survey illuminates some of
the needs and concerns they have around accessing oral health care, there is
much more we need to know—like what oral health services do older adults want
and what are they willing to pay for them. Future survey work will explore these
issues.
Lynda Flowers is a Senior Strategic Policy
Advisor in the AARP Public Policy Institute
Olivia Dean is a Policy Research Senior Analyst
with the AARP Public Policy Institute
Teresa Keenan is the Director of Health Research
with AARP Research
[1] Complete survey data are forthcoming.
[2] Survey Methodology: Between
October 17 and 29, 2018, AARP conducted a nationally representative survey of
U.S. adults ages 45 and older via phone and web, using NORC’s probability-based
AmeriSpeak Panel® n=1,537 (web, n=1,056; phone, n=481), including oversamples
of African Americans (n=334) and Hispanics (n=303). Interviews were conducted
in English and Spanish. Results presented here only reflect responses
of those age 65 and older.
[3] The survey did not address price
sensitivity, thus we are unable to report how much more people would be willing
to pay for a Medicare dental benefit.
No comments:
Post a Comment