Examining the Association Between Social Needs and Care Gap Closure Among Older Adults Receiving Dental Care

•Nealy 30% of older patients seeking dental care had 1 or more social needs.•Those with 1 social need were more likely to close care gaps than those with no social needs.•No significant difference was found between patients with 2 or more social needs and care gap closure. The authors of this study sought to (1) describe the prevalence of social needs and (2) determine whether social needs were associated with closure of care gaps among patients aged ≥65 years seeking dental care. In this retrospective cross-sectional study, the authors identified 754 Kaiser Permanente Northwest patients aged ≥65 years who completed an index dental visit; had at least 1 of 23 preventive care gaps (e.g., flu vaccination) or disease management care gaps (e.g., diabetes HbA1c screening test) documented in their medical record; and had completed a social needs assessment through survey evaluating financial strain, food insecurity, housing needs, social isolation, and transportation needs. The authors described the prevalence of social needs at the index visit and then used logistic regression to evaluate the association between the number of social needs (0, 1, ≥2) and closure of all care gaps over the following 60 days (yes versus no), adjusting for patient characteristics. Identification and closure of care gap were assessed through Kaiser Permanente Northwest's Panel Support Tool. Approximately 28% of patients reported ≥1 social needs. The prevalence of social needs was as follows: social isolation, 13.7%; financial strain, 11.3%; food insecurity, 7.7%; transportation needs, 5.4%; and housing needs, 3.3%. Those with 1 social need were more likely to close care gaps than those with no social needs (OR=1.82, 95% CI=1.17, 2.85). No significant association was found with care gap closure among those with ≥2 versus zero social needs. The prevalence of social needs was nearly 30% among patients aged ≥65 years with dental and medical coverage. Patients with 1 social need were more likely than those with no social needs to close all care gaps after their visit.