Table 1.
Associations between social backgrounds, dental service utilization (DSU), and chewing difficulty in Thai older adults (n = 4,130)
| Variables | N (%) | % with Chewing difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| Location | ||
| Urban | 2,242 (54.3) | 53.7 |
| Rural | 1,888 (45.7) | 51.6¶ |
| Gender | ||
| Male | 2,001 (48.5) | 52.8 |
| Female | 2,129 (51.5) | 52.7 |
| Age | ||
| 60–64 yrs | 1,383 (33.4) | 52.1 |
| 65–69 yrs | 1,262 (30.6) | 50.4 |
| 70–74 yrs | 1,485 (36.0) | 55.3* |
| Welfare | ||
| UCS | 3,294 (79.8) | 53.9 |
| SSS | 142 (3.4) | 50.0 |
| CSMBS | 694 (16.8) | 47.6** |
| Income | ||
| ≤ 15,000 baht | 3,756 (90.9) | 53.6 |
| > 15,000 baht | 374 (9.1) | 43.6*** |
| Education | ||
| Primary school or lower | 3,222 (78.0) | 54.0 |
| Middle school or higher | 908 (22.0) | 48.2** |
| Elderly independence | ||
| Completely independent | 3,961 (95.9) | 52.5 |
| Partially independent or Fully dependent | 169 (4.1) | 58.6¶ |
| DSU | ||
| Not utilized | 2,543 (61.6) | 50.1 |
| Utilized | 1,587 (38.4) | 57.0*** |
***p < 0.001, **p < 0.01, *p < 0.05, ¶p < 0.2 (Chi-square test)
UCS, Universal Coverage Scheme; SSS, Social Security Scheme; CSMBS, Civil Servant Medical Benefit Scheme