Oral health status among Spanish adults with diabetes: National Health Survey, 2017

Aims: We aim i) to describe self-reported oral health among patients with diabetes in Spain; ii) to recognize which variables (socio-demographic, lifestyle and health-related), were related to poor self-reported oral health in patients with diabetes. Methods: We used data from subjects of the National Health Interview Survey performed in 2017. Diabetes status was self-reported. One non-diabetes patient was matched by gender and age for each diabetes case. Poor self-reported oral health was defined using the answers "I have dental caries" to the following question: What is the state of your teeth and molars?, Socieconomic, demographic, comorbidities, health status, health care-related were independent variables. Results: We found that the prevalence of dental caries was higher among subjects with diabetes than their matched controls (23.8% vs. 16.5%; P < 0.001). The OR of dental caries for people with diabetes was 1.45 (95% CI 1.12-1.30). Older age, having lower monthly income, obesity, periodontal disease, very poor/poor/ fair self-rated health and having public dental health insurance increased the probability of suffering caries. Conclusions: Poor self-reported oral health was higher among people with diabetes compared to non-diabetes controls. Physicians and dentists should increase their awareness with their patients with diabetes, especially those with obesity, younger and with lower education. (C) 2020 Primary Care Diabetes Europe. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.