TABLE 1—
Older Adults’ Private Dental Coverage, Report of a Dental Visit During 1996, Mean Number of Visits, and Mean Expenditure per User, by Selected Population Characteristics: United States, 1996
| Characteristic | No., Thousands | With Private Coverage, % (SE) | With a Visit, % (SE) | No. of Visits, Mean (SE)a | Expenditure, $, Mean (SE)a |
| Total | 54 875 | 33.73 (1.10) | 42.75 (1.15) | 2.88 (0.06) | 427.70 (18.85) |
| Dental Coverage | |||||
| Covered | 18 598 | NA | 62.58 (1.63) | 3.07 (0.09) | 498.60 (29.72) |
| Not covered | 36 367 | NA | 32.66 (1.25) | 2.69 (0.09) | 358.56 (23.47) |
| Age, y | |||||
| 55–64 | 20 825 | 51.26 (1.66) | 46.82 (1.67) | 2.82 (0.08) | 413.21 (23.24) |
| 65–74 | 18 666 | 28.36 (1.58) | 46.90 (1.68) | 3.03 (0.12) | 454.20 (33.82) |
| ≥ 75 | 15 384 | 16.51 (1.34) | 32.21 (1.83) | 2.73 (0.12) | 409.40 (43.37) |
| Gender | |||||
| Female | 30 577 | 29.88 (1.08) | 43.36 (1.23) | 2.90 (0.07) | 439.85 (23.99) |
| Male | 24 298 | 38.57 (1.45) | 41.99 (1.61) | 2.84 (0.11) | 411.91 (30.21) |
| Race/ethnicityb | |||||
| Black non-Hispanic | 4 709 | 25.39 (2.99) | 20.99 (2.47) | 2.71 (0.22) | 434.34 (90.47) |
| Hispanic | 3 130 | 22.91 (2.74) | 28.53 (3.09) | 2.70 (0.25) | 378.83 (78.70) |
| White non-Hispanic | 47 036 | 35.28 (1.24) | 45.88 (1.29) | 2.89 (0.07) | 429.42 (19.57) |
| Education | |||||
| College graduate | 9 341 | 51.91 (2.32) | 67.40 (2.17) | 3.06 (0.12) | 449.12 (32.50) |
| High school graduate | 27 410 | 39.08 (1.40) | 47.02 (1.33) | 2.90 (0.08) | 421.98 (23.55) |
| Some or no school | 17 967 | 16.34 (1.31) | 23.58 (1.43) | 2.54 (0.15) | 415.72 (58.51) |
| Family incomec | |||||
| Poor | 6 389 | 13.18 (1.75) | 25.12 (1.90) | 2.68 (0.20) | 366.14 (48.15) |
| Low | 13 170 | 15.62 (1.45) | 29.80 (1.76) | 2.80 (0.13) | 343.28 (27.31) |
| Middle | 17 396 | 36.26 (1.85) | 43.45 (2.03) | 2.91 (0.13) | 474.57 (46.70) |
| High | 17 920 | 51.91 (1.81) | 57.88 (1.61) | 2.92 (0.09) | 435.02 (24.61) |
| Teeth | |||||
| Has teeth | 41 117 | 38.55 (1.24) | 53.02 (1.25) | 2.88 (0.06) | 423.97 (19.71) |
| Has no teeth | 13 702 | 19.24 (1.52) | 11.90 (1.11) | 2.84 (0.30) | 477.67 (54.53) |
| Rural/urban countyd | |||||
| Large metropolitan | 23 853 | 38.85 (1.49) | 44.94 (1.66) | 2.88 (0.06) | 508.83 (35.51) |
| Small metropolitan | 18 920 | 34.65 (1.87) | 43.46 (2.24) | 3.08 (0.10) | 384.85 (24.24) |
| Nonmetropolitan | 12 046 | 22.20 (2.25) | 37.50 (2.38) | 2.82 (0.11) | 313.15 (28.45) |
Note. NA = not applicable. Population without private coverage may include persons with public coverage.
aFor persons with a visit during 1996.
bWhite non-Hispanic includes all other ethnic/racial groups not otherwise included among non-Hispanic Blacks and Hispanics.
cIncludes persons in families with negative income. Poor refers to incomes less than 100% of the poverty line; low income, 100% to 199% of the poverty line; middle income, 200% to 399% of the poverty line; and high income 400% of the poverty line or greater.
dLarge metropolitan refers to urban counties 1 million acres or more in area, small metropolitan refers to other metropolitan counties, and nonmetropolitan refers to nonmetropolitan counties, whether or not adjacent to urban counties.