The objectives of the proposed research are (1) to study the patterns of disparities in oral health outcomes (including oral diseases and oral quality of life) among socioeconomic (SES) groups and (2) to analyze the impact of the individual's SES constraints, oral health beliefs, and oral health behavior on the disparities in oral health outcomes among SES groups and to examine the relationships between the financing and organization of oral health care systems and the patterns of disparities in oral health outcomes. Both objectives will involve comparisons across international study sites. To achieve these objectives, this study proposes to use the data already collected from the International Collaborative Study of Oral Health Outcomes (ICS II). ICS II data sets contain both clinical and social survey data for three age groups (12-13, 35-44, and 65-74) in each of seven study sites. These sites include Erfurt, former East Germany; Lodz, Poland; New Zealand; Yamanashi, Japan; and Baltimore, Maryland and Navajo and Sioux Indian Health Service sites in the U.S. The index of """"""""excess oral morbidity"""""""" will be used to measure the extent of the disparity in oral health outcomes between SES (educational, occupational, and income) groups and to identify the SES groups with the most disadvantaged oral health outcomes. Standardization techniques will be used to examine the impact of the selected variables on oral health disparity. Finally, as the ICS II sites offer a wide range of general health and oral health care systems, a qualitative and comparative analysis will be conducted to examine how the characteristics of these systems relate to oral health disparities.
| Chen, Meei-shia (2002) Oral health status and its inequality among education groups: comparing seven international study sites. Int J Health Serv 32:139-61 |
