Ethnic minorities (native born, immigrant and refugees) in the US and in other industrialized countries have a much higher prevalence of oral disease compared to the majority population. The foreign-born population in New York City (NYC) increased from 2.1 million in 1990 to 2.9 million in 2000, a new peak. The assessment of the determinants of the oral health status of the immigrants in NYC and in the US in general is vital to plan effective oral health promotion programs and to eliminate disparities in oral health. This study will be the first assessment, that we are aware of, of the effect of immigrant status on multiple clinical indicators of oral health, perceptions of health and other predictors of oral health across specific subgroups of Asian, Hispanic/Latino and West Indian adult populations in the US. The proposed study will utilize data collected from one of the four major studies of the Northeastern Regional Center for Minority Oral Health. We propose to expand the scope of the original study by analyzing data from the top six racial/ethnic immigrant groups in NYC (Chinese, Asian Indian, Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, Central/-South Americans, and West Indians) with a new focus and analytical techniques.
The specific aims of this project are to: 1) examine and compare the association between immigrant status (country of birth, age at immigration and years in the US) and the oral health status (documented caries and periodontal disease) of the top six adult racial/ethnic subgroups in New York City; 2) examine and compare the correlates of utilization of oral health care services across six adult racial/ethnic subgroups in New York City; 3) examine and compare the predictors of self-perceived oral health across six adult racial/ethnic subgroups in New York City. The proposed study would help elucidate the effects of ethnicity on the oral health of immigrants by examining some of the underlying factors associated with disparities in oral health. ? ? ?
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