Social inequalities in tooth loss: A multinational comparison

Abstract

© 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd Objectives: To conduct cross-national comparison of education-based inequalities in tooth loss across Australia, Canada, Chile, New Zealand and the United States. Methods: We used nationally representative data from Australia's National Survey of Adult Oral Health; Canadian Health Measures Survey; Chile's First National Health Survey Ministry of Health; US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey; and the New Zealand Oral Health Survey. We examined the prevalence of edentulism, the proportion of individuals having <21 teeth and the mean number of teeth present. We used education as a measure of socioeconomic position and measured absolute and relative inequalities. We used random-effects meta-analysis to summarize inequality estimates. Results: The USA showed the widest absolute and relative inequality in edentulism prevalence, whereas Chile demonstrated the largest absolute and relative social inequality gradient