Summer Meeting, Thursday 5th June 1997 "Mind the Gap" Oral Health for Older People in Ethnic Minority Groups

The aim of this study was to investigate potential differences in caries prevalence of children from ethnic minority groups compared to native Dutch children and the influence of socio-economic status (SES) and parent-reported oral health behaviour on this association. The study had a cross-sectional design, embedded in a population-based prospective multi-ethnic cohort study. 4,306 children with information on caries experience, belonging to 7 different ethnic groups, participated in this study. The decayed, missing, and filled teeth (dmft) index was assessed at the age of 6 and categorized in two ways for analysis: children without caries (dmft = 0) versus any caries experience (dmft >0) and children without caries (dmft = 0) versus children with mild caries (dmft = 1-3) or severe caries (dmft >3). Compared to native Dutch children, children with a Surinamese-Hindustani, Surinamese-Creole, Turkish, Moroccan, and Cape Verdean background had significantly higher odds for dental caries. Especially the Surinamese-Hindustani, Turkish, and Moroccan group had significantly higher odds for severe dental caries. Household income and educational level of the mother explained up to 43% of the association between ethnicity and dental caries, whereas parent-reported oral health behaviour did not mediate the association. Alarming disparities in caries prevalence between different ethnic (minority) groups exist, which cannot be fully explained by social inequalities. Public health strategies can apply this new knowledge and specifically focus on the reduction of ethnic disparities in oral health. More research is needed to explain the high caries prevalence among different ethnic minority groups.

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Ethnic Disparities in Dental Caries among Adolescents in China

Journal of Dental Research ◽

10.1177/0022034520976541 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 002203452097654

Author(s):

S.C. Wu ◽

X.X. Ma ◽

Z.Y. Zhang ◽

E.C.M. Lo ◽

X. Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Oral Health ◽

Dental Caries ◽

Ethnic Minority ◽

Minority Groups ◽

Negative Binomial ◽

Economic Status ◽

Ethnic Disparities ◽

Caries Experience ◽

Ethnic Minority Groups ◽

Sugary Beverages

Comprehensive research on ethnic disparities in dental caries in China is limited. The aims of this cross-sectional study were to compare the levels of dental caries in adolescents between the Han ethnic group and ethnic minority groups in China and to explore the risk indicators for dental caries within ethnic subgroups. Data from the Fourth National Oral Health Survey in 2015, which covered all 31 province-level administrative divisions in mainland China, were used. The dental caries status in the permanent dentition of adolescents aged 12, 13, 14, and 15 y was measured using the decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DFMT) score, and sociodemographic characteristics and oral health–related behaviors were also collected. A total of 118,601 adolescents were included, with ethnic minority groups accounting for 13.15%. Of the Han and minority groups, the standardized prevalence of dental caries experience was 40.58% and 47.67%, and the mean DMFT scores were 0.97 and 1.28, respectively. According to the multivariate zero-inflated negative binomial regression analysis, the caries status of minorities was more severe than Han adolescents (adjusted prevalence rate ratio [PRR], 1.14; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.10–1.18). This disparity was greater among adolescents who lived in rural areas, had mid-level economic status, and frequently consumed sugary beverages. After propensity score matchings, Uygur (PRR, 1.44; 95% CI, 1.25–1.67), Tibetan (PRR, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.3–1.48), and Yi (PRR, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.04–1.48) adolescents were significantly more likely to have caries than Han adolescents. Subgroup analyses revealed that gender, age, location of residence, economic status, region, consumption of sweet snacks and sugary beverages, and dental visit pattern were significantly associated with dental caries within ethnic minorities.

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Older people in ethnic minority groups

Community Care of Older People ◽

10.1201/9781315377643-16 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 141-146

Author(s):

Alistair Ritch

Keyword(s):

Older People ◽

Ethnic Minority ◽

Minority Groups ◽

Ethnic Minority Groups

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Ethnic minority membership and depression in the UK and America

Mental Health and Social Inclusion ◽

10.1108/mhsi-12-2016-0037 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

pp. 5-12 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Sue Holttum

Keyword(s):

African Americans ◽

Older People ◽

Physical Health ◽

Ethnic Minority ◽

Minority Groups ◽

Well Being ◽

Ethnic Minority Groups ◽

Content Type ◽

The Us ◽

The Uk

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss two recent studies on depression in members of ethnic minorities, one based in the UK with older people, and one in the USA. The aim was to examine what might lead to depression in these groups, and what might protect people from it. Design/methodology/approach The UK-based study examined depression and physical health in older members of the two largest ethnic minority groups in the UK: African Caribbean and South Asian. The US-based study examined whether a sense of belonging to the population group African Americans protected people from depression, as one social theory might predict, or whether racism prevented this protection, as predicted by another theory. Findings In London-based older South Asians, depression was explained by their poorer physical health compared to white Europeans. In older people of black Caribbean origin, depression was linked to their social disadvantage. The researchers did not measure people’s experience of discrimination, and other research suggests this can explain both physical illness and depression. The US-based study reported better well-being for people who identified with other African Americans, but not if they also felt negative about African Americans. However, these were weak links, so other things may affect well-being more, such as day-to-day relationships and a range of group memberships. Originality/value The London-based study was new in studying depression in older people belonging to the two largest ethnic minority groups in the UK and in white Europeans. The US study tested two competing social theories with different predictions about depression in relation to belonging to an ethnic minority. Both studies highlight the need for more research on discrimination and how to reduce it and its negative effects on both mental and physical health.

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Psychiatry of old age and ethnic minority older people in the United Kingdom

Reviews in Clinical Gerontology ◽

10.1017/s0959259809990190 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 19 (2) ◽

pp. 119-134 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Ajit Shah

Keyword(s):

United Kingdom ◽

Mental Disorders ◽

Older People ◽

Ethnic Minority ◽

Old Age ◽

Secondary Care ◽

Minority Groups ◽

Psychiatric Morbidity ◽

Ethnic Minority Groups ◽

The United Kingdom

SummaryThis review examines the demographic changes, the epidemiology of mental disorders and suicides, the potential risk and protective factors, access to secondary care old age psychiatry services (OAPSs) and the policy context pertaining to older people from ethnic minority groups in the United Kingdom. The number of older people from ethnic minority groups is increasing. The prevalence of mental disorders in older people from ethnic minority groups is either similar to or higher than that in the indigenous population. Therefore, the number of older people from ethnic minority groups with psychiatric morbidity is also increasing. Ethnic minority older people also have inequity of access to secondary care OAPSs. There is an urgent need to develop and implement practical strategies to improve access by older people from ethnic minority groups to OAPSs.

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