Behavior Factor Risk Surveillance System

The Illinois Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System is a telephone survey designed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and administered by states. It collects information about diverse adult risk factors such as smoking, alcohol use, exercise, and visits to the doctor. The most recent state-wide oral health data is available for 2014 for two topics: % of adults with an annual dental visit and % of adults with all their original teeth.

Observations:

• Three quarters of older Illinois adults report having lost at least one tooth. Adults with incomes above $50,000 are 20 percentage points more likely to have all their original teeth than those with lower incomes.
• Nearly two-thirds of adults report visiting the dentist during the last year. The greatest population disparities occur by income and education: people with the highest incomes are 40 percentage points more likely to say they visit the dentist than those with the lowest incomes; and people with more than a high school education are 33 percentage points more likely to say they visit than those with less than a high school education.