Abstract

Objectives: This study examines household firearm ownership and secure storage practices among individuals who recently visited a dental clinic, highlighting the potential role of dental settings in firearm injury prevention. Methods: Data were from the 2022 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) across five states—California, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, and Ohio—that administered the state-optional Firearm Safety module. The sample was restricted to adults who had visited a dentist within the past five years (N = 33,036). We estimated firearm ownership and storage patterns by recency of the last dental visit. Chi-square tests were used to assess differences in household firearm ownership and firearm secure storage by time since the last dental care visit. Results: Household firearm ownership was reported by 28.8% of individuals with a past-year dental visit, 24.3% of those with a visit in the past two years, and 25.4% of those with a visit in the past five years (χ² = 54.37, p = .001). Among firearm-owning households, 70.9% of those with a past-year visit stored all firearms unloaded, while 14.7% stored at least one firearm loaded and locked, and 14.4% stored at least one firearm loaded and unlocked. Firearm storage practices did not significantly differ by dental visit recency (χ² = 23.36, p = .304). Conclusions: Nearly one-third of dental patients reside in firearm-owning households, with approximately one in seven storing firearms loaded and unlocked. The findings indicate that dental clinics may represent an overlooked setting for firearm secure storage counseling.

Keywords: Firearm ownership, secure storage, dental care, public health, injury prevention, BRFSS

How to Cite:

Testa, A. & Mungia, R., (2026) “Assessing Firearm Ownership and Storage Among Recent Dental Care Users in the United States”, Health Behavior Research 9(1).