More information is available on tooth loss thanks to some new studies.
The International and American Associations for Dental Research published two studies regarding oral health and the inequalities involving low-income people and older people. The studies were published in the Journal of Dental Research.
The first study by Eduardo Barnebe and Wagner Mercedes looks at the relationship between income and tooth loss for almost 400,000 American adults. Many factors were taken into account.
When the Gini coefficient, a tool used to determine income, dropped by about 5 percent, the odds of reporting tooth loss were about 20 percent higher.
In Stefan Listl’s study, the goal was to show income-related inequalities in dental services among elder Europeans. The data compiled for the study wasn’t surprising. In almost all countries, a person’s income was proportional to the dental care he or she received.
The basic conclusion from both studies is that for lower-income people around the world, a lot of work is necessary for these people to receive the dental care they need.
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