Association of income inequality with orthodontic treatment use.

BACKGROUND

Income inequality has been associated with worse oral health outcomes and reduced dental care use. It is unknown whether income inequality may motivate people to seek orthodontic treatment.

METHODS

This was a logistic mixed-effects model of deidentified claims from a private insurer in the United States with enrolled members having at least 1 orthodontic visit in the calendar year as the dependent variable. Total number of dental visits, age, and sex were individual-level covariates. Median household income, Gini coefficient, female population proportion, number of practicing dentists and orthodontists, population size, and population density were zip code-level covariates.

RESULTS

A total of 1,860,709 people had at least 1 orthodontic claim. Adjusting for population demographics, the Gini index was significantly positively associated with orthodontic use for children but not for adults (odds ratio, 1.69 for children; P < .0001). Being female was the strongest predictor of orthodontic use for adults and was a significant predictor of use for children (odds ratio, 1.50 and 1.45, respectively; P < .0001).

CONCLUSIONS

The Gini index is associated with orthodontic use in children in a privately insured population. Individual characteristics are more predictive of orthodontic use among privately insured adults.

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS

Demographic and economic traits of communities can affect oral health care use; effects on orthodontic use may be more dramatic than on other forms of oral health care.