Racial and socioeconomic disparities in oral disadvantage, a measure of oral health-related quality of life: 24-month incidence.
OBJECTIVE
This paper estimates the incidence of oral disadvantage based on the subject's approach to dental care, sex, race, and financial status; identifies demographic and socioeconomic characteristics that were associated with oral disadvantage; and determines if these characteristics were differentially associated with the three domains of oral disadvantage.


METHODS
The Florida Dental Care Study was a longitudinal study of oral health in diverse groups of persons who at baseline had at least one tooth, were 45 years or older, and were either African American or non-Hispanic white. Incidence rates, odds ratios, and 95 percent confidence intervals were used to describe oral disadvantage and its relation to race, income, and other key sociodemographic characteristics.


RESULTS
The strongest independent predictors of oral disadvantage were approach to dental care (problem-oriented attenders or regular), and situation if faced with an unexpected $500 dental bill. Demographic and socioeconomic characteristics were differentially associated with each disadvantage domain.


CONCLUSIONS
African Americans, females, rural residents, individuals who did not graduate from high school, individuals with limited financial resources, and problem-oriented dental attenders had significantly higher occurrences of oral disadvantage. Racial and sex disparities in oral disadvantage were largely explained by differences in approach to dental care and financial resources between these groups.
Department of Diagnostic Sciences, University of Alabama at Birmingham, School of Dentistry, SDB Room 115, 1530 3rd Avenue South, Birmingham, AL 35294-0007, USA. chavers@uab.edu
L Scott
LS
Chavers
Gregg H
GH
Gilbert
Brent J
BJ
Shelton
D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003729:Dental Care / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005431:Florida / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009059:Mouth Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D009909:Oral Health; D011203:Poverty; D011788:Quality of Life; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D012919:Social Behavior; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014098:Toothache / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data