Affluent Neighborhoods Reduce Excess Risk of Tooth Loss among the Poor

The effect of neighborhood on health may vary according to the characteristics of the residents. We tested the hypothesis that, in affluent neighborhoods, low-income adults retain more teeth than their income-equivalent peers in poor neighborhoods. In 2003, the Adelaide Small Area Dental Study colle...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of dental research 2008-10, Vol.87 (10), p.969-973
Main Authors: Sanders, A.E., Turrell, G., Slade, G.D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Dentistry
Effect Modifier, Epidemiologic
Female
Humans
Income
Male
Middle Aged
Multilevel Analysis
Poverty
Residence Characteristics
Small-Area Analysis
Social Class
South Australia - epidemiology
Surveys and Questionnaires
Tooth Loss - epidemiology
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Summary:The effect of neighborhood on health may vary according to the characteristics of the residents. We tested the hypothesis that, in affluent neighborhoods, low-income adults retain more teeth than their income-equivalent peers in poor neighborhoods. In 2003, the Adelaide Small Area Dental Study collected sociodemographic and tooth retention information from 2860 adults in 60 neighborhoods. Neighborhood socio-economic position was a census-based composite measure. Using multilevel modelling, we fitted a series of two-level random intercept variance component models. Findings revealed significant main effects for individual and neighborhood predictors and a significant interaction between neighborhood disadvantage and low income. In affluent areas, disparities in tooth retention were negligible, but in poor neighborhoods, substantial variation in tooth retention between individuals was found based on their level of income. Low-income adults appeared to benefit from living in affluent areas, while wealthier adults living in poor neighborhoods did not lose their oral health advantage.
ISSN:0022-0345
1544-0591
DOI:10.1177/154405910808701006