Objective: To develop a simple quantitative measure of dental health inequality.
Method: Define equality based on statistical theory and construct a formula to compare actual and theoretical disease distributions.
Result: A new index (DHII) is proposed, based on the ratio of the distribution of the actual disease to a (theoretical) Poisson distribution. An example using caries data is provided.
Conclusion: Use of DHII will allow quantitative measurement of dental health inequality.