Perspectives on food insecurity in dental care: Quick Poll results

• Quick Poll

Authors: Dr. Rahma Mungia, Dr. Alexander Testa, and Kayla Mariel Garcia

Introduction

Food insecurity is a household-level economic and social condition characterized by limited access to nutritious food, impacting millions of Americans annually.¹ Recent systematic reviews and meta-analyses have found a strong association between food insecurity, dental caries, and poor oral health in children, adolescents, and adults.^2-3 Numerous studies have also documented that food insecurity influences individuals’ physical, health, and psychological well-being over the lifespan.^4-7

This study aims to assess general dentists’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices in managing patients with food insecurity and determine dentists’ perceptions regarding food insecurity and oral health. Through an improved understanding of dental practitioners’ perspectives on the role of food insecurity in professional dental practice, we hope to understand better how to integrate dental care with food insecurity screening and leverage dental care professionals to connect food-insecure patients with food assistance programs or services.

Methods

Study Design and Participants:

Data are from a cross-sectional survey of dental practitioners who are members of the National Dental Practice-Based Research Network in the United States.

Data collection:

Network members were invited to participate in an online survey (Quick Poll) through email and social media. Two email invitations were sent to all members: one in the network’s monthly newsletter sent on July 21, 2023, and one as a follow-up email sent on July 31, 2023. The Quick Poll was announced on the network’s social media accounts (Facebook, Linked In, and Instagram). The Quick Poll was open from July 21, 2023, until August 20, 2023. The page was opened 1,434 times, and 332 respondents completed the survey.

Measures and Data Analysis:

The survey content included five questions inquiring about 1) Whether dental practitioners should screen patients for food insecurity as part of their professional dental role; 2) The impact food insecurity has on a person’s overall health; 3) The oral health issues that food insecurity has the most impact on; 4) If the dental practitioners felt comfortable enough to direct a patient with food insecurity to the appropriate resources; 5) How interested the dental practitioners would be in participating in a study on food insecurity.

The data were collected through a web survey in Constant Contact, a digital and email marketing platform. Data were analyzed by assessing mean values across responses.

Results

The final sample size was 332.

Many practitioners reported that food insecurity significantly impacts oral health, and two-thirds were interested or very interested in participating in a study about food insecurity.

When queried about screening patients for food insecurity as part of their professional dental role:

• 39% reported that they were neutral, highlighting that the dental practice is divided on whether screening for food insecurity should occur in dental clinics.
• 30% agreed or strongly agreed that dental practitioners should screen patients for food insecurity.
• 29% disagreed or strongly disagreed that dental practitioners should screen patients for food insecurity.

When queried about the oral health issue that was most impacted by food insecurity:

• 68% selected dental caries
• 12% selected periodontal disease
• 16% selected wound healing
• 2% selected xerostomia
• 0% selected oropharyngeal cancers

When queried about the comfortableness of directing a patient with food insecurity to the appropriate resources:

• 53% selected in the comfortable range (score of 1-4)
• 19% selected in the neutral range (score of 5-6)
• 22% selected in the uncomfortable range (score of 7-10)

Conclusions

The findings of this Quick Poll indicate that most dental practitioners surveyed would be interested in participating in a study about food insecurity, and many reported that food insecurity has a significant impact on overall oral health. Therefore, a National Dental PBRN clinical study examining current dental management approaches and oral health outcomes in patients with food insecurity would be beneficial.

Highlights

1. Most dental practitioners in this Quick Poll showed interest in a future clinical study.
2. 68% of the dentists selected caries as the primary oral health issue that is most impacted by food insecurity.
3. Most dental practitioners were comfortable directing a patient with food insecurity to the appropriate resources in their community, such as a local food bank or providing information on SNAP benefits.

Table 1. “Perceptions of Dental Practitioners Related to Dental Management of Patients with Food Insecurity”: National Dental Practice-Based Research, 2023.

Read the publication to learn more