ArticleThe journal of spinal cord medicine2026
Spinal cord injury Veterans access to dental care: Barriers and limitations.
Article in The journal of spinal cord medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- From hospital dentistry to health systems: advancing special care dentistry through education, integration, and technology.Frontiers in oral health · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
CONTEXT/
objectiveOral hygiene is crucial for basic health by preventing systemic diseases. People with spinal cord injuries (SCI) in previous studies identified cost, physical barriers (such as chair lifts), and dental fear as barriers to dental care. Our study observes whether Veterans with SCI are receiving appropriate dental care, and if not, to identify the barriers.
designCross-sectional survey during their annual exam, inpatient stays, or outpatient visits.
settingClement J. Zablockie Veterans Affairs Medical Center Spinal Cord Injury/Disorders Program.
participants188 Veterans with SCI (
results157 (83.5%) Veterans reported having received dental care since their SCI. Most reported receiving post-SCI dental care at a non-VA clinic (63.3%) and at least annually (63.3%). Some of these Veterans reported being unable to receive dental care since their SCI (23.4%) and identified barriers: lack of insurance (60.0%), money (30.0%), physical obstacles (6.7%), and "other" reasons (10.0%). Veterans who were white (black OR 0.518, CI 0.157-1.709; other OR 0.181, CI 0.053-0.620), had dental insurance (OR 5.778, CI 1.258-26.547), and/or had VA dental care eligibility (OR 4.782, CI 1.516-15.085) were more likely to have received dental care since SCI. However, most did not report having insurance (70.9%) or VA eligibility for dental care (63.1%).
conclusionsSex, age and level of injury were not related to dental care access, but race, insurance, and VA care eligibility were. Similar to the general population, finances were the most-reported barrier to dental care. Prioritizing early intervention, financial aid, and preventive measures can enhance the health of Veterans with SCIs.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.