BACKGROUND: Insurance against the cost of preventing and treating oral diseases can reduce inequities in dental-care use and oral health. The purpose of this study was to examine the extent of variation in dental insurance coverage for older adult populations within and between the USA and various European countries. METHOD: The analyses relied on 2006-2007 data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) and on 2004-2006 data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) in the USA for respondents 51 years of age and older. A series of logistic regression models was estimated to identify disparities in dental coverage. RESULTS: The highest extent of significant insurance differences between various population subgroups was found for the USA. In comparison with southern and eastern European countries, a lower number of significant differences in coverage was found for Scandinavian countries. Countries categorised as having comprehensive public insurance coverage showed a tendency towards less insurance variation within their populations than did countries categorised as not having comprehensive public coverage. The exceptions were Poland and Switzerland. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of the present study suggest that significant variations in dental coverage exist within all elderly populations examined and that the extent of inequalities also differs between countries. By and large, the observed variations corroborate the perception that population dental coverage is more equally distributed under public subsidy. This could be relevant information for decision makers who seek to improve policies in order to provide more equitable dental coverage.
BACKGROUND: Insurance against the cost of preventing and treating oral diseases can reduce inequities in dental-care use and oral health. The purpose of this study was to examine the extent of variation in dental insurance coverage for older adult populations within and between the USA and various European countries. METHOD: The analyses relied on 2006-2007 data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) and on 2004-2006 data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) in the USA for respondents 51 years of age and older. A series of logistic regression models was estimated to identify disparities in dental coverage. RESULTS: The highest extent of significant insurance differences between various population subgroups was found for the USA. In comparison with southern and eastern European countries, a lower number of significant differences in coverage was found for Scandinavian countries. Countries categorised as having comprehensive public insurance coverage showed a tendency towards less insurance variation within their populations than did countries categorised as not having comprehensive public coverage. The exceptions were Poland and Switzerland. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of the present study suggest that significant variations in dental coverage exist within all elderly populations examined and that the extent of inequalities also differs between countries. By and large, the observed variations corroborate the perception that population dental coverage is more equally distributed under public subsidy. This could be relevant information for decision makers who seek to improve policies in order to provide more equitable dental coverage.
Authors: Carol C Guarnizo-Herreño; Richard G Watt; Hynek Pikhart; Aubrey Sheiham; Georgios Tsakos Journal: J Epidemiol Community Health Date: 2013-06-27 Impact factor: 3.710
Authors: Willemijn Schäfer; Madelon Kroneman; Wienke Boerma; Michael van den Berg; Gert Westert; Walter Devillé; Ewout van Ginneken Journal: Health Syst Transit Date: 2010
Authors: Paul I Eke; Liang Wei; Wenche S Borgnakke; Gina Thornton-Evans; Xingyou Zhang; Hua Lu; Lisa C McGuire; Robert J Genco Journal: Periodontol 2000 Date: 2016-10 Impact factor: 7.589
Authors: Rakhi Mittal; Wong Mun Loke; Desmond Ong Luan Seng; Tan Mei Na; Gabriel Lee Keng Yan; Patrick Finbarr Allen Journal: Int Dent J Date: 2021-12-31 Impact factor: 2.607
Authors: Michael Janto; Raluca Iurcov; Cristian Marius Daina; Daniela Carmen Neculoiu; Alina Cristiana Venter; Dana Badau; Adrian Cotovanu; Marcel Negrau; Corina Lacramioara Suteu; Monica Sabau; Lucia Georgeta Daina Journal: J Pers Med Date: 2022-02-28