Does Socioeconomic Status Affect Oral Health? Results from the PERSIAN Cohort Study

Background: The current study aimed to measure and decomposes socioeconomic-related inequalities in DMFT (decayed, missing, and filled teeth) index among adults in Iran. Methods: The study data was drawn from the adult component of Perspective Epidemiological research studies in IrAN (PERSIAN) from 17 centers in 14 different provinces of Iran. DMFT score was used as a measure of oral health among adults in Iran. The relative and generalized (absolute) concentration index (RC and GC, respectively) was used to quantify and decompose socioeconomic-related inequalities in DMFT among Iranian adults (35 years and older). Results: A total of 128813 adults aged 35 and older, who are enrolled in the Prospective Epidemiological Research Studies in IrAN (PERSIAN), were included in the study. The mean score of DMFT of the adults was 6.01 (SD=3.17). The findings suggested that DMFT was mainly concentrated among the poor in the 14 provinces included in the study (RC = -0.064; 95% confidence interval (CI), -0.066 to -0.063 and GC = -0.387; 95% CI, 0.397 to -0.377). In addition, SES, being male, older age and being widow or divorced were identified as the main factors contributing to the concentration of DMFT among the worse-off in Iran. Conclusions: It is recommended to focus in the oral health status of socioeconomically disadvantaged groups in order to reduce socioeconomic-related inequality in oral health among adults in Iran. Moreover, it should be noted that reducing socioeconomic-related inequalities in oral health should be accompanied by appropriate health promotion policies that focus actions on the fundamental socio-economical causes of dental disease.