Socioeconomic disadvantage and periodontal disease: the Dental Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study.
OBJECTIVE
We used data from the Dental Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study to examine whether individual- and neighborhood-level socioeconomic characteristics were associated with periodontal disease.


METHODS
We assessed severe periodontitis with a combination of clinical attachment loss and pocket depth measures. Marginal logistic regression modeling was used to estimate the association between individual and neighborhood socioeconomic indicators and prevalence of severe periodontitis before and after control for selected covariates. Residual intraneighborhood correlations in outcomes were taken into account in the analyses.


RESULTS
Individual-level income and education were associated with severe periodontitis among Whites and African Americans, and these associations remained significant after adjustment for age, gender, recruitment center, and neighborhood socioeconomic score. Low-income Whites residing in disadvantaged neighborhoods had 1.8-fold (95% confidence interval=1.2, 2.7) higher odds of having severe periodontitis than high-income Whites residing in advantaged neighborhoods.


CONCLUSIONS
Individual income and education were associated with severe periodontitis independently of neighborhood socioeconomic circumstances. Although the association between neighborhood socioeconomic status and severe periodontitis was not statistically significant, poverty and residence in a disadvantaged neighborhood were associated with higher odds of severe periodontitis among Whites.
Borrell
Luisa N
LN
Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, School of Dental and Oral Surgeons, Columbia University, 722 West 168th St, New York, NY 10032, USA. lnb2@columbia.edu
Beck
James D
JD
Heiss
Gerardo
G
D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D044383:Black People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010510:Periodontal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012923:Social Class; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001741:Black or African American