Table 2.
Descriptive Statistics of Mothers’ Self-Rated Oral Health, Behaviors and Beliefs, and Self-Reported Dental Services Received at the Last Dental Visit, by Racial/Ethnic Group
| Blacks | Hispanics | Whites | Adjusted p-value** |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Self-Rated Oral Health & Number of Dental Problems | ||||
| Average self-rated dental health (1–5, 1=poor and 5=excellent)* | 2.9 | 2.6 | 2.8 | 0.394 |
| Percent self-rating dental health as fair or poor | 41% | 52% | 42% | 0.274 |
| Percent self-rating teeth in fair or poor condition | 42% | 58% | 41% | 0.044 |
| Average number of dental problems* | 2.0 | 1.8 | 2.1 | 0.118 |
| Percent mothers reporting each problem: | ||||
| Toothache | 31% | 30% | 30% | 0.607 |
| Broken tooth | 40% | 43% | 37% | 0.367 |
| Discolored teeth | 38% | 31% | 53% | <.001 |
| Bleeding gums | 26% | 26% | 27% | 0.926 |
| Boil or abscess | 6% | 5% | 4% | 0.415 |
| Loose teeth | 8% | 8% | 5% | 0.099 |
| Sensitive teeth | 48% | 41% | 57% | 0.002 |
| Ill fitting dentures | 4% | 7% | 3% | 0.196 |
| Percent Mothers Reporting Each Oral Health Behavior | ||||
| Smokes some or all of the time | 34% | 7% | 36% | <.001 |
| Fair or lot of time brushing | 85% | 78% | 91% | 0.005 |
| Uses toothpick daily or few times a week | 31% | 42% | 20% | <.001 |
| Flosses daily or few times a week | 49% | 61% | 53% | 0.274 |
| Whitens teeth by dentist | 7% | 7% | 8% | 0.183 |
| Whitens teeth by whitener | 15% | 10% | 23% | <.001 |
| Whitens teeth by toothpaste | 31% | 22% | 37% | 0.035 |
| Percent Mothers Receiving Each Dental Service at Last Visit | ||||
| Teeth cleaning | 69% | 71% | 66% | 0.181 |
| Dental exam | 69% | 61% | 70% | 0.206 |
| X-rays | 64% | 65% | 67% | 0.700 |
| Filling | 33% | 40% | 33% | 0.664 |
| Crown | 6% | 10% | 7% | 0.422 |
| Tooth extraction | 23% | 24% | 20% | 0.539 |
| Toot canal | 8% | 10% | 8% | 0.342 |
| Gum treatment | 5% | 6% | 3% | 0.549 |
| Dentures or bridges | 3% | 5% | 3% | 0.293 |
| Care for braces | 2% | 1% | 1% | 0.716 |
| Percent Mothers with Each Oral Health Belief | ||||
| Believes regular cleaning prevents cavities | 80% | 87% | 83% | 0.263 |
| Believes regular cleaning prevents loose teeth | 57% | 73% | 62% | 0.103 |
*
Average scores. A mother could report a maximum of eight problems in the survey.
**
Adjusted for RSDC, age, insurance, education, income, survey mode, immigration status, single parent, employment status, and mental health