Using area-based measures of socioeconomic status in dental health services research

Objectives: This paper reports the results of a study to assess the value of an area-based measure of socioeconomic status in dental health services research. Methods: Data on oral health were collected using a telephone interview survey of a random sample of persons aged 50 years and older living independently in Ontario, Canada. Postal codes and a computerized census database were used to identify the mean household income of the enumeration area in which each subject lived. Analyses were undertaken to determine the extent to which the area-based measure of household income substitutes for and supplements self-reported household income in predicting oral health outcomes. Results: The results indicate that the enumeration area mean was not a good predictor of self-reported household income in this population. However, the area-based measure identified as much Variation in nine oral health outcome variables as did the self-reported measure. Also, the socioeconomic status of the area in which the subjects lived had an effect on health and health-related behaviors that was independent of their household socioeconomic status. Conclusions: The use of area-based measures in dental health services research is promising and warrants further exploration.