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VA Research Currents archive
Posted July 16, 2013
(Summer 2013 VA Research Currents)
Dental assistant Freda Reutz (left) and dentist Dr. Ronald Pleis attend to a patient at the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System. (Photo by Jeff Bowen)
A study of nearly 10,000 Veterans who had taken part in a VA homeless intervention program found that those who had received dental care enjoyed better outcomes in a number of areas.
Those who received dental care were 30 percent more likely to complete the homelessness program, 14 percent more likely to have a job or be financially stable at discharge, and 15 percent more likely to have transitioned to residential housing.
The study included 9,870 Veterans who had been admitted to a VA homeless intervention program during 2008 or 2009. Roughly half received dental care during treatment, while the others did not. To zero in on the effects of dental care by itself, the researchers adjusted for factors such as the Veterans' demographics and their medical and psychiatric history—including alcohol and substance abuse.
The study authors concluded: "Provision of dental care has a substantial positive impact on outcomes among homeless veterans participating in housing intervention programs. This suggests that homeless programs need to weigh the benefits and cost of dental care in program planning and implementation."
The authors included researchers with VA's national Office of Dentistry and National Center on Homelessness among Veterans, as well as the Fayetteville (Ark.) and Bedford (Mass.) VA medical centers.
(American Journal of Public Health, online May 16, 2013)