(EA01-05-25) The Relationship Between Food Insecurity and Dental Caries Among U.S. Adults: A Secondary Analysis

Scientific conference where the work was recently presented: 2025 GPHA Annual Meeting and Conference (unfortunately, the conference was cancelled.)

Date on which the work was previously presented at the scientific conference listed: April 30, 2025 (My Student Poster Presentation was scheduled, however, the conference was cancelled due to travel restrictions.)

Objectives: Dental caries remains a public health concern, with the CDC reporting that 90% of adults 20–64 have caries in their permanent teeth, and one in four U.S. adults have untreated caries. Recent studies suggest vulnerable populations, particularly adults facing food insecurity, are at higher risk. Food insecurity, defined as limited access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food, affected 18 million U.S. households in 2023, a rise from 17 million in 2022. This study examines the relationship between food insecurity and untreated dental caries among U.S. adults.

Methods: Secondary data analysis of a representative sample of 8,569 adults aged ≥ 18 from NHANES 2017 to March 2020. The relationship between food insecurity and untreated caries was assessed using binomial multivariate logistic regression, controlling for age, gender, race, marital status, and education level.

Results: The mean age was 49.36 (±18.5); 51% were female and 35% white. Approximately 21% of adults had untreated caries, 62.5% had full food security, 14.8% had marginal, 12.7% had low, and 9.9% had very low food security. In fully adjusted models, adults with marginal, low, and very low food security had 1.61, 1.50, and 2.01-times higher odds of untreated caries than food-secure adults (p≤0.001). Females had 19% lower odds than males (p≤0.001). Disparities existed, with Mexican Americans having the highest odds (OR: 2.11: CI: 1.73-2.59). Being a college graduate reduced the odds of caries by 69% (CI: 0.23-0.40).

Conclusions: Adults with marginal to very low food security face higher odds of untreated caries than food-secure adults.

Funding Sources: None