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Oral Health, Oral Pain, and Visits to the Dentist: Neighborhood Influences among a Large Diverse Urban Sample of Adults

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Abstract

The objective of this study was to assess the association between oral health and individual-level characteristics as well as both socioeconomic position (SEP) and service provision characteristics at the neighborhood level. Multilevel logistic analysis was undertaken of data from the Neighbourhood Effects on Health and Well-being Study in Toronto comprising 2,412 participants living in 47 neighborhoods and 87 census tracts. Three oral health outcomes were investigated: last dental visit, self-rated oral health, and self-rated oral pain. Results indicated that SEP was significantly associated with no dental visits in the last year, poor self-rated oral health, and experiencing oral pain after adjusting for age, gender, and immigrant status. Lack of dental insurance was associated with no visits to the dentist in the last year and poor self-rated oral health; however, no association was observed with oral pain. In adjusted regression models, few neighborhood level variables were significantly associated with dental visits and self-rated oral health and no neighborhood variables were associated with oral pain. Based on these results, SEP appears to be important in evaluating oral health outcomes. While insignificant in this study, neighborhood factors are important when considering the impact of service provision on oral health.

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Acknowledgments

Our research was funded by the Canadian Institute for Health Research grant MOP-84439 and the Social Science and Health Research Council grant 410-2007-1499. Heidi Borenstein was supported by a Wilfrid Laurier University Undergraduate Research Assistantship grant.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Research on Inner City Health, St. Michael’s Hospital, 209 Victoria Street, Third Floor, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5C 1N8

    Heidi Borenstein, Emilie Renahy & Patricia O’Campo

  2. Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Carlos Quiñonez

Authors
  1. Heidi Borenstein
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  2. Emilie Renahy
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  3. Carlos Quiñonez
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  4. Patricia O’Campo
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Correspondence to Heidi Borenstein.

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Borenstein, H., Renahy, E., Quiñonez, C. et al. Oral Health, Oral Pain, and Visits to the Dentist: Neighborhood Influences among a Large Diverse Urban Sample of Adults. J Urban Health 90, 1064–1078 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11524-013-9802-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11524-013-9802-2

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