Differences in Quality between Dental Practices Associated with Race and Income Mix of Patients

We recently demonstrated with the Florida Dental Care Study (FDCS) that the racial mix of the dental practice attended was significantly associated with patient-specific service receipt and health outcome. Therefore, our objective here was to determine if African Americans and lower-income people attended dental practices with characteristics systematically different from the practices attended by their counterparts. The FDCS was a prospective cohort study of 873 people at baseline who were followed for 48 months. Participants' dentists were asked to complete questionnaires about their practices. Significant racial and income differences were evident in dentists' reports of payment mix, characteristics of typical patients, types of procedures typically done, typical fees, practice busyness, waiting room times, and delays to get an appointment. Systematic differences in the dental practices attended were evident, as a function of the person's race and income, differences that are associated with social disparities in oral health.