Socio-Economic Inequalities in Oral Health

Abstract

Socio-economically disadvantaged individuals and societies suffer a disproportionately high burden of oral diseases than their advantaged counterparts almost universally. Studies that examine socio-economic inequalities in oral health have applied many individual- and household-level measures of social position: income, education, occupation and social class. Social inequalities in oral health are also evidenced between populations using measures of area-level disadvantage, including country-level income, gross domestic product, gross national income, deprivation, social development and income inequality. Despite capturing some form of social disadvantage, each measure uniquely represents an underlying social and economic process that is shaped politically and historically; ignoring which can be misleading in understanding the extent of oral health inequalities, and most importantly, its solutions. Apart from the choice of measure, the scale on which socio-economic inequality in oral health is measured is of key importance. Oral health inequalities can be presented in absolute and relative scales. Strategies to reduce inequalities on one scale may insufficiently address inequalities on the other scale. Finally, discussion on epidemiological tools and theoretical explanations that enhance the current understanding of socio-economic inequalities in oral health is vital. This chapter discusses oral epidemiological research on socio-economic inequalities in oral health with an emphasis on the measurement of socio-economic inequalities in oral health, theoretical explanations and epidemiological methods that can assist in improving current knowledge on social inequalities in oral health.