J Clin Epidemiol 2004 Aug; 57(8): 853-7 (Read article online)

Fisher MA, Gilbert GH, Shelton BJ

OBJECTIVE: To describe racial differences in receipt of dental services and dental insurance; and to determine the effectiveness of specific dental services in facilitating recovery in symptom-specific and race-specific subgroups. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: Using a restricted cohort analytic method, Florida Dental Care Study prospective cohort data were used to quantify associations between dental service use and the quality of life measure, "recovery" from oral disadvantage due to functional limitation. RESULTS: Non-Hispanic Whites (NHW) were more likely to have a dental visit [odds ratio (OR); 95% confidence interval: 3.5; 2.2-5.3], corrective treatment (OR=2.1; 1.3-3.3), caps (OR=28.8; 6.6-126.4), and dental insurance coverage for caps (OR=2.9; 1.4-5.9). After adjusting for other covariates: (1) among NHW with severe gum disease, those receiving extractions were more likely to recover (OR=7.8; 1.0-59.1), but those receiving caps were less likely to recover (OR=0.1; 0.01-0.6); (2) among Non-Hispanic Blacks (NHB) with a sensitive tooth, those receiving corrective treatment (OR=3.2; 1.2-8.8) or extractions (OR=3.8; 1.3-11.2) were more likely to recover; (3) among NHB with tooth disease, those receiving corrective treatment (OR=2.3; 1.0-5.0) and extractions (OR=2.8; 1.2-6.5) were more likely to recover. CONCLUSION: There were racial differences in dental insurance, in the receipt of dental services and in the effectiveness of dental services in improving oral health-related quality of life.