Poverty Tied To Poor Dental Health

Main Category: Dentistry
Article Date: 30 Dec 2005 - 0:00 PDT

email to a friend   printer friendly   opinions  

Lower income and education levels are tied to poor dental health, according to a study based on data from more than 15,000 people living in North Carolina, Mississippi, Minnesota and Maryland.

Researchers found that the lower a person's income and education level, the more likely that person would suffer from severe periodontitis, or advanced gum disease that can lead to tooth loss.

The finding remained true even after adjusting for age, gender and neighborhood income level. Living in a lower socioeconomic neighborhood wasn't always linked to poor dental health, but, in this study, low-income whites living in disadvantaged neighborhoods had almost twice the rate of severe periodontitis as the general population.

The study's authors suggest more research into the ways neighborhoods can influence health-related behaviors, especially among less-educated and lower-income individuals.

[From: "Socioeconomic Disadvantage and Periodontal Disease: The Dental Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study." Contact: Luisa N. Borrell, DDS, PhD, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, N.Y.]

The American Journal of Public Health
The American Journal of Public Health is the monthly journal of the American Public Health Association, the oldest organization of public health professionals in the world. APHA is a leading publisher of public health-related books and periodicals promoting high scientific standards, action programs and policy for good health.

More information is available at http://www.apha.org.

• Additional
• References
• Citations