Investigating the relationship between multimorbidity and dental attendance: a cross-sectional study of UK adults

Introduction Regular dental attendance is related to better oral health. However, long-standing health conditions (LSHCs) may be related to dental attendance and this relationship may vary by socioeconomic status. Method Data were collected from wave two (2013-2015) of the Yorkshire Health Study (n = 7,654). Data included dental attendance, LSHC, age, gender, education-level, smoking, body mass index, and area-level deprivation. Logistic regression (attend or not) was used to analyse associations with LSHC and multimorbidity. Results Overall, 63.1% (n = 4,826) of individuals attended the dentist. Of these, 37.8% (n = 2894) had no LSHC, 26.0% (n = 1987) had one LSHC and 36.4% (n = 2784) had two or more LSHC. The presence of a singular LSHC was not associated with dental attendance (OR = 0.91 [0.81, 1.04]), however, those with two or more LSHCs were more likely to attend the dentist (OR = 0.81 [95% CI 0.72, 0.92]). Interactions between individual-level education, as a marker of socioeconomic status, and LSHC revealed few associations with dental attendance. Conclusion Multimorbidity was associated with dental attendance such that those with multimorbidity were more likely to attend. These important findings highlight the increasing challenge of multimorbidity for global healthcare systems.