For this study, Yu analyzed health, demographic, and dental-care data from nearly 128,000 adults in the National Institutes of Health’s All of Us program, one of the world’s largest biomedical databases. Yu used the data to examine how physical challenges and mental health issues reported by individuals from different socioeconomic backgrounds varied depending on three factors: whether they had visited a dentist in the past year, their income level, and their age.
The study found that nearly one in three young adults skipped visits to the dentist in the past year.
“Across all ages, people generally managed to see a doctor,” says Yu. “But those who skipped dental care most often pointed to cost and lack of insurance coverage.” She says this finding reinforces the need to address the persistent policy gap in dental coverage, especially for those not covered by employer-based insurance or public programs.
Young adults who missed dental visits were also more likely to skip medical care, struggle with copays, rely on emergency care, and report poor mental health or memory problems. Yu found that this group of study participants were more likely to be renters, uninsured, and racially diverse—and that unstable housing added financial and emotional strain.
The study’s age-based analysis revealed other important generational contrasts. While adults aged 66 years or older were more likely to have insurance and own a home, they also reported more disabilities. Individuals who reported difficulty walking, bathing, running errands, or concentrating were more likely to skip dental care, particularly among these older adults.
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