title: Wealth effect and dental care utilization in the United States.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this article is to examine the relationship of wealth and income and the relative impact of each on dental utilization in a population of older Americans, using data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS).
  
  
  METHODS
  Data from the HRS were analyzed for US individuals aged 51 years and older during the 2008 wave of the HRS. The primary focus of the analysis is the relationship between wealth, income, and dental utilization. We estimate a multivariable model of dental use controlling for wealth, income, and other potentially confounding covariates.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We find that both wealth and income each have a strong and independent positive effect on dental care use of older Americans (P < 0.05). A test of the interaction between income and wealth in our model failed to show that the impact on dental care utilization as wealth increases depends on a person's income level or, alternatively, that the impact on dental use as income increases depends on a person's household wealth status (P > 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Relative to those living in the wealthiest US households, the likelihood of utilizing dental care appears to decrease with a decline in wealth. The likelihood of utilizing dental care also appears to decrease with a decline in income as well.
authors.affiliation: Division of Health Services Research, Department of Health Promotion and Policy, Dental School, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA. rmanski@umaryland.edu
authors.forename: Richard J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Manski
authors.forename: John F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Moeller
authors.forename: Haiyan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Patricia A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: St Clair
authors.forename: Jody
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schimmel
authors.forename: John V
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Pepper
mesh_terms: D003752:Dental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008875:Middle Aged; D012923:Social Class; D014481:United States