Acculturation and Dental Service Use Among Asian Immigrants in the U.S.

Abstract

The objective of this study was to assess dental service utilization across different Asian immigrant groups and to examine the relationship between acculturation and dental service utilization among Asian immigrants in the U.S. Data were from the 2013 and 2014 National Health Interview Surveys. Multiple logistic regression models were used to examine the association between acculturation and having a dental visit in the previous 12 months, controlling for predisposing, enabling, and need factors. Acculturation was measured by length of stay in the U.S., English language proficiency, and U.S. citizenship. The sample was 2,948 adult Asian immigrants who were dentate. Data were analyzed in 2016. Dental service utilization varied across Asian immigrant groups. High English proficiency and longer length of stay were significantly associated with having a dental visit (p<0.05). In the final model, after adding enabling factors-dental insurance and family income levels-length of stay in the U.S. (≥5 years) remained significant, whereas English language proficiency was not a significant correlate of having a dental visit. Length of stay in the U.S. is a significant factor affecting dental service utilization among Asian immigrants.