Study shows link between economic, social, environmental factors and oral health

More than 1 in 4 adults in California report having poor oral health, but that figure rises to roughly 1 in 2 for the state ’s lowest-income residents and drops to 1 in 5 for those with the highest incomes, according to a UCLApolicy brief that looks at the role economic, social and environmental factors play in oral health.The research, conducted by the  UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, highlights significant differences in residents ’ oral health across income, education, employment, immigration status and other categories, revealing the crucial influence of social determinants and illustrating that poor oral health is not simply a result of lack of access to dental care.“Few studies have examined the role of social determinants of oral health,” said Nadereh Pourat, lead author of the study andan associate director at the center. “Our study found striking disparities in oral health status when we examined a broad array of socioeconomic and environmental factors, with income being the most influential of these indicators.”Using data  from the center ’s 2017 and 2018 California Health Interview Survey, the authors found that poor oral health was more common among adultswho had no dental insurance (32%)or Medi-Cal (42%) vs. those with private insurance (16%); those with no college education vs. college-educated residents (36% vs. 15%); immigrants vs. U.S. –born residents (37% vs. 22%); those with limited English proficiency vs. English-proficient resi...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news