June 2012

Objective: To describe income-related inequalities in chewing ability of the elderly populations residing in different European countries. Basic research design: This study investigates income-related inequalities on basis of cross-sectional data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE Wave 2). Participants: SHARE contains information on chewing abilities of 33,411 individuals aged 50+ from 14 different countries. Main outcome measures: Income-related inequalities in chewing ability were identified by means of Concentration Indices (CI) and Slope Indices of Inequality (SII). Results: Disproportionate concentration of chewing ability among the rich elderly populations was evident for all countries except Ireland (relative inequality according to CI). Moreover, chewing abilities were significantly better amongst individuals from the highest income groups, compared with the lowest, for all countries except Italy, Switzerland, Czechia, Poland and Ireland (absolute inequality according to SII). Denture status explained some proportion of absolute but not of relative inequalities. Conclusion: There is considerable income-related inequality in chewing ability for several elderly populations residing in Europe. Key words: socioeconomic status, chewing, inequalities, Europe, middle aged, aging, oral health