Abstract
Objectives
The purpose of this study was to examine the association between food insecurity and untreated dental caries using a nationally representative sample of US adults.
Methods
Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) cycles 2011‐2012 and 2013‐2014 on adults aged 18 years and older were analysed (n = 10 723). Primary predictors were overall food security (food‐secure/ food‐insecure) and household food security (full, marginal, low and very low). The main outcome was any untreated dental caries (none/ ≥ one). Multiple logistic regression analyses were done to estimate the adjusted odds ratio after controlling for confounders.
Results
Food‐insecure adults were more likely to have untreated dental caries than food‐secure adults after adjusting for potential confounders (OR: 1.2; 95% CI: 0.9‐1.5). Adults from households with marginal (OR:1.4; 95% CI:1.5‐2.2), low (OR:1.3, 95% CI:1.3‐2.0) and very low food security (OR:1.3; 95% CI:0.9‐1.5) had higher odds of untreated caries than adults from households with full food security. Following age stratification, marginal, low and very low food‐secure adults had higher prevalence of untreated dental caries than full food‐secure adults across all age groups.
Conclusions
Our findings suggest that food‐insecure adults had higher odds of untreated dental caries than food‐secure adults. These findings highlight the importance of assessing food insecurity as a risk factor for dental caries. Longitudinal cohort studies are recommended to determine causal mechanisms.