The Impact of Socioeconomic Status and Race-Ethnicity on Dental Health

Abstract

This article examines the impact of race-ethnicity on dental health and the extent to which socioeconomic status (SES), routine dental care, and health-related behaviors mediate this relationship. The data used in this analysis are from the National Education and Health Survey III, a large national data set that incorporated professional dental examinations and personal interviews. Results indicate that both race-ethnicity and SES are independently and significantly related to the number of decayed and missing tooth surfaces observed in dental examinations. The authors find that Blacks are consistently the group most likely to have decayed and missing teeth, followed by Mexican Americans. Although a portion of the effects of race-ethnicity are mediated by SES, a portion of the effects of SES are mediated by smoking, sugar consumption, and dental care. The direct effects of both race-ethnicity and SES are significant, even when controlling for the effects of health-related behaviors and other key demographic factors. The effects of race-ethnicity and SES also persist when the sample is restricted to specific income and race-ethnicity groups.