Background and objectivesPoor oral health disproportionately affects low‐income older adults, for whom food insecurity and poor mental health may affect dental health. We explored the associations between food insecurity, mental health, and dental health. Furthermore, we examined whether mental health impacted the associations between food insecurity and dental health.Materials and MethodsWe conducted a cross‐sectional study with a convenience sample of 226 older adults (aged 50+), employing survey and dental screening data. Participants were recruited from seven community‐based organisations in Washington State, USA. We calculated descriptive statistics and conducted Chi‐square tests, t tests, and logistic regression analyses to assess the associations between aspects of dental health (untreated decay, gum disease, and unmet dental needs), mental health (depression and cognitive function), and food insecurity.ResultsIn our sample, food insecurity was observed in 28.4%, 40.6% had untreated decay, 31.6% gum disease, and 42.5% unmet dental needs. Food insecurity was associated with a higher occurrence of untreated decay and unmet dental needs. Participants experiencing food insecurity had higher odds of gum disease (aOR = 2.3; 95% CI: 1.1, 5.2) and unmet dental needs (aOR = 3.2; 95% CI:1.4, 7.6). Greater gum disease due to food insecurity was observed among individuals with lower levels of cognitive impairment.ConclusionFood insecurity is associated with poorer oral health among older adults and cognitive function may modify this relationship. These findings underscore the importance of addressing both food insecurity and cognitive impairment as integral components of efforts to improve the oral health of older adults.

中文翻译：

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粮食不安全及其与老年人心理健康和口腔健康的关系


背景和目标口腔健康状况不佳对低收入老年人的影响尤为严重，对他们来说，粮食不安全和心理健康状况不佳可能会影响牙齿健康。我们探讨了粮食不安全、心理健康和牙齿健康之间的关联。此外，我们还研究了心理健康是否会影响粮食不安全与牙齿健康之间的关联。材料和方法我们利用调查和牙科筛查数据，对 226 名老年人（50 岁以上）进行了一项横断面研究。参与者是从美国华盛顿州的七个社区组织招募的。我们计算了描述性统计数据并进行了卡方检验， t测试和逻辑回归分析来评估牙齿健康（未经治疗的蛀牙、牙龈疾病和未满足的牙齿需求）、心理健康（抑郁和认知功能）和食品不安全之间的关联。结果在我们的样本中，观察到食品不安全28.4%、40.6% 的人有未治疗的蛀牙，31.6% 的人有牙龈疾病，42.5% 的牙齿需求未得到满足。粮食不安全与未经治疗的腐烂和未满足的牙科需求的发生率较高有关。经历粮食不安全的参与者患牙龈疾病的几率较高（aOR = 2.3；95% CI：1.1，5.2），且牙科需求未得到满足（aOR = 3.2；95% CI：1.4，7.6）。在认知障碍水平较低的个体中，由于食物不安全而导致的牙龈疾病更严重。结论食物不安全与老年人口腔健康状况较差有关，认知功能可能会改变这种关系。这些发现强调了解决粮食不安全和认知障碍作为改善老年人口腔健康努力不可或缺的组成部分的重要性。