Dentistry

Poll Watch: Massachusetts and Connecticut Lead America in Dentist Visits

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According to the latest Gallup Poll.

Three in four Massachusetts residents say they visited a dentist in the last 12 months, a higher rate than in any other state in the nation. Those living in Mississippi were least likely to say they go to the dentist, followed by Louisiana and West Virginia residents.

These state-level data, collected as part of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, are from January through June 2011 and encompass more than 177,000 interviews conducted among national adults, aged 18 and older. Nationwide, an average of 65% of all American adults say they visited a dentist in the last 12 months during this time period, essentially unchanged from past years.

Here is the chart for the most and least dentist visit states:

And, not surprisingly, there is a relationship between having dental insurance and a dentist visit.

Here is the chart:

So, what does this all mean?

There are regional disparities in visiting the dentist. Any programs designed for dental health education will need to be tailored with these regional and perhaps cultural differences in mind.

Poor oral care can lead to many potential negative health outcomes. When combined with other risk factors, poor oral health can be linked to heart disease, stroke, atherosclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and diabetes, among others. Maternal periodontal disease, too, has been linked to preterm births.

The range in good oral health behaviors across the 50 states is considerable and may be indicative of several factors, including household income. Having health insurance coverage — which is related to income — also appears to be a critical factor in dental visits. However, it should be noted that the Well-Being Index only confirms whether a respondent has health insurance, not dental insurance. Based on the Well-Being Index data, a 10-percentage-point increase in the percentage of Americans with health insurance could mean as much as a 6-point increase in the percentage who visit the dentist each year, with a potentially considerable positive effect on many of the negative health outcomes associated with poor oral health.

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Health

CDC: Successful Anti-Smoking Efforts Resulting in Less Lung Cancer?

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Former smoker Debie Austin warns viewers about the dangers of smoking.

Yes, according to a new report.

New diagnoses of lung cancer fell from 2006 to 2008 among Americans of both sexes — the first time in decades that the incidence in women has declined, and probably because of successful anti-smoking efforts, the CDC reported.

Nationwide, the reductions in incidence amounted to 2.2% among women from 2006 to 2008 and 2.9% among men from 2005 to 2008, according to data from two CDC registries appearing Thursday in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Accompanying and probably explaining these trends were declines in smoking prevalence and increases in so-called quit ratios, seen in responses to the CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey, the report indicated.

Quit ratios are the number of “former smokers” (those responding that they did not currently smoke but had previously smoked at least 100 cigarettes during their lifetimes) divided by the total of current and former smokers.

States with higher quit ratios — which the authors suggested were the result of media campaigns, tobacco tax hikes, and other anti-smoking programs — had greater decreases in new lung cancer diagnoses (r=-0.55 for men, -0.33 for women, both P<0.001).

During this period of time, some states also regulated where smoking could take place (due to second hand smoke). With smoking no longer being socially acceptable inside a residence or a restaurant, some of the glamor and more of the pain in the ass type of habit meme becomes more common place.

Graphic videos like the one above may have had some effect.

But, whatever, I will accept less lung cancer as a worthy societal goal.

Although the authors offered no systematic data to link these trends with state-level tobacco control efforts, they argued that these were likely responsible, at least in part.

They pointed to California as a state that has “invest[ed] more fully in these programs” and has also seen “decreases in youth and adult smoking prevalence, decreases in lung cancer, and significant healthcare savings.”

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