title: Explaining racial/ethnic disparities in children's dental health: a decomposition analysis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We measured racial/ethnic inequalities in US children's dental health and quantified the contribution of conceptually relevant factors.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using data from the 2007 National Survey of Children's Health, we investigated racial/ethnic disparities in selected child dental health and preventive care outcomes. We employed a decomposition model to quantify demographic, socioeconomic, maternal health, health insurance, neighborhood, and geographic effects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Hispanic children had the poorest dental health and lowest preventive dental care utilization, followed by Black then White children. The model explanatory variables accounted for 58% to 77% of the disparities in dental health and 89% to 100% of the disparities in preventive dental care. Socioeconomic status accounted for 71% of the gap in preventive dental care between Black children and White children and 55% of that between Hispanic children and White children. Maternal health, age, and marital status; neighborhood safety and social capital; and state of residence were relevant factors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Reducing US children's racial/ethnic dental health disparities-which are mostly socioeconomically driven-requires policies that recognize the multilevel pathways underlying them and the need for household- and neighborhood-level interventions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Management and Policy, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA.
authors.forename: Carol Cristina
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Guarnizo-Herreño
authors.forename: George L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Wehby
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003753:Dental Health Surveys / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D019458:Insurance Coverage / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007348:Insurance, Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009035:Mothers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009909:Oral Health / Q000208:ethnology*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014481:United States; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data