Dental visits among adult Hispanics--BRFSS 1999 and 2006.

OBJECTIVES This study examined and compared utilization of dental services by adult U.S. Hispanics 18 years and older in the years 1999 and 2006. METHODS Dental utilization data collected by telephone interviews by the state-based Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) were analyzed. RESULTS In 2006, the state mean and median prevalence of adult Hispanics with dental visits during the past year were 56.2 percent and 62.1 percent, respectively, and had not changed significantly since 1999. In 40 states, utilization was well below the national prevalence of 70.3 percent. Frequency of dental visits was significantly higher among females and those with higher income (> $50,000), higher education, nonsmokers, and persons having medical health insurance. CONCLUSIONS Findings from this study suggest that barriers to utilization of dental services among Hispanic adults exist in most states and may contribute to existing oral health disparities. The magnitude of this problem may increase in the future with the expansion of the U.S. Hispanic population.