Inequality in access to dental services in a market-based dental care system. A population study from Norway 1975-2018

Jiang, Nan; Grytten, Jostein; Kinge, Jonas Minet

doi:10.1101/2021.08.02.21261259

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 27 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…37,38 The dental care market is competitive, and most patients can afford dental care at the present level of fees. 32,[38][39][40][41][42][43] The aim of the study was to investigate whether private dental practitioners counteract a fall in demand for their services by providing more services or by raising their fees. The following research questions were examined: With less demand for dental care, do private dental practitioners compensate for their loss of income by providing more services?…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Do Norwegian private dental practitioners with too few patients compensate for their loss of income by providing more services or by raising their fees?

Grytten

Listl

Skau

2022

Comm Dent Oral Epid

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objective: In Norway, supply of dental services exceeds demand, mainly because of the marked improvement in dental health during the last few decades. The aim of the study was to investigate whether private dental practitioners counteract a fall in demand for their services by providing more services or by raising their fees. Methods:The data were collected using a questionnaire that was sent to all private dental practitioners in Norway. Altogether 1237 practitioners responded, which gave a response rate of 56%. Our sample was representative of the population of practitioners in Norway. As a measure of patient supply, responses from the following questions were used: 'Based on an overall assessment of economy, workload and other personal factors, is the number of regular patients adequate? If not, do you wish to have more patients, or fewer patients?' The outcome variables were dental fees, length of recall interval and mean cost per visit. The data were analysed using ordinary least square regression and a linear probability model. The following characteristics of the private dental practitioners were included as control variables: age, gender, work experience in years and whether they worked in a solo practice. To test the robustness of the findings, a supplementary analysis with the patient as the unit of analysis was carried out, using survey data of Norwegians aged 20 years and older. Based on this survey, the relationship between population: dentist ratio and mean cost per dental visit were examined. Results:Nearly 40% of all practitioners reported that they had too few patients. They compensated for their loss of income by raising their fees, by recalling their patients more often and by increasing the cost per visit. The finding in the supplementary analysis using survey data from patients was similar to the findings in the main analyses using survey data from private dental practitioners. Conclusion:The findings show that practitioners have market power. They were able to counteract a fall in demand for their services by providing more services and by raising their fees. The dental profession should be encouraged to provide appropriate services, in the present situation where supply exceeds demand.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Do Norwegian private dental practitioners with too few patients compensate for their loss of income by providing more services or by raising their fees?

Grytten

Listl

Skau

2022

Comm Dent Oral Epid

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

The impact of dental care programs on healthcare system and societal outcomes: a scoping review

Ghoneim

Ebnahmady

D’Souza

et al. 2022

BMC Health Serv Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Dental diseases have detrimental effects on healthcare systems and societies at large. Providing access to dental care can arguably improve health outcomes, reduce healthcare utilization costs, and improve several societal outcomes. Objectives Our objective was to review the literature to assess the impacts of dental care programs on healthcare and societal outcomes. Specifically, to identify the nature of such programs, including the type of services delivered, who was targeted, where services were delivered, and how access to dental care was enabled. Also, what kind of societal and healthcare outcomes have been attempted to be addressed through these programs were identified. Methods We conducted a scoping review by searching four databases, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and Sociological Abstracts. Relevant articles published in English language from January 2000 to February 2022 were screened by four reviewers to determine eligibility for inclusion. Results The search resulted in 29,468 original articles, of which 25 were included in the data synthesis. We found minimal evidence that answers our proposed research question. The majority of identified programs have demonstrated effectiveness in reducing medical and dental healthcare utilization (especially for non-preventive services) and avert more invasive treatments, and to a lesser degree, resulting in cost-savings. Moreover, some promising but limited evidence about program impacts on societal outcomes such as reducing homelessness and improving employability was reported. Conclusion Despite the well-known societal and economic consequences of dental problem, there is a paucity of studies that address the impacts of dental care programs from the societal and healthcare system perspectives. MeSH terms Delivery of Health Care, Dental Care, Outcome assessment, Patient acceptance of Health Care.

show abstract

Mindre ulikhet i tannhelsetjenesten

Grytten¹,

Jiang²,

Kinge³

2021

Tidende

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Inequality in access to dental services in a market-based dental care system. A population study from Norway 1975-2018

Cited by 4 publications

References 27 publications

Do Norwegian private dental practitioners with too few patients compensate for their loss of income by providing more services or by raising their fees?

Do Norwegian private dental practitioners with too few patients compensate for their loss of income by providing more services or by raising their fees?

The impact of dental care programs on healthcare system and societal outcomes: a scoping review

Mindre ulikhet i tannhelsetjenesten

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About