Impact of insurance coverage on dental care utilization of Iowa children

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simi Mani
Author(s):  
Satar Rezaei ◽  
Mohammad Hajizadeh ◽  
Seyed Fahim Irandoost ◽  
Yahya Salimi

Abstract Purpose Socioeconomic inequalities in dental care utilization in Iran are rarely documented. This study aimed to provide insight into socioeconomic inequalities in dental care utilization and its main contributing factors among Iranian households. Design/methodology/approach A total of 37,860 households from the 2017 Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) were included in the study. Data on dental care utilization, age, gender and education attainment of the head of household, socioeconomic status of households, health insurance coverage, living areas and provinces were obtained for the survey. The concentration curve and the normalized concentration index (Cn) was used to illustrate and quantify socioeconomic inequalities in dental care utilization among Iranian households. The Cn was decomposed to identify the main determinants of the observed socioeconomic inequality in dental care utilization in Iran. Findings The study indicated that the prevalence of dental care utilization among Iranian’s households was 4.67% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.46 to 4.88%). The results suggested a higher concentration of dental care utilization among socioeconomically advantaged households (Cn = 0.2522; 95% CI: 0.2258 to 0.2791) in Iran. Pro-rich inequality in dental care utilization also found in rural (Cn = 0.2659; 95%CI: 0.2221 to 0.3098) and urban (Cn = 0.0.2504; 95% CI: 0.0.2159 to 0.2841) areas. The results revealed socioeconomic status of households, age and education status of head of households and residing provinces as the main contributing factors to the concentration of dental care utilization among the wealthy households. Originality/value This study revealed pro-rich inequalities in dental care utilization among households in Iran and its provinces. Thus, health policymakers should focus on designing effective evidence-based interventions to improve healthcare utilization among household with the older head of households, lower education status, and living in relatively poor provinces to reduce socioeconomic inequality in dental care utilization in Iran.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jin-Sun Choi ◽  
Se-Hwan Jung

Abstract Background: In Korea, the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) began its coverage of dentures and dental implants for older people in 2012 and 2014, respectively. This study aimed to investigate the impact of these policies on dental care utilization among people aged 65 years or older according to their sociodemographic characteristics. Methods: Data was collected from the Korea Health Panel (KHP; years 2012 and 2015). The statistical significance of the relationships between sociodemographic characteristics and use of outpatient dental care, denture, and dental implant were analyzed. Results: Results showed an increase of 5.7%, 1.4%, and 2.8% for use of outpatient dental care, denture, and dental implant, respectively, over the course of three years. Including dentures increased its use by 2.5–3.7 times among people aged 70 years or older. Including dental implants alleviated the disparities among age groups and duration of education, except among uneducated people; however, it caused inequity according to household income. Conclusions: Thus, some Korean older adults remain neglected from the benefits of the expanded NHIS; the NHIS should aim for the provision of universal health coverage, and older adults’ access to dental care should be enhanced by the implementation of policies to promote oral health care utilization, Dental prosthetic services, Older adults, Insurance coverage


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 799-800
Author(s):  
Bei Wu ◽  
Stephen Shuman ◽  
Elisa Ghezzi

Abstract Oral health status and dental care utilization is strongly associated with social and behavioral factors and health outcomes. The five papers in this symposium address how several of these factors affect oral health and dental care among diverse groups of older adults. Using data from the Health and Retirement Study, the first paper examined the impact of early childhood disadvantages on oral health in later life among adults age 51 and above in the U.S. The second paper used large-scale epidemiological data that addressed the relationship between acculturation and subsequent oral health problems. It also tested the moderating role of neighborhood disorder in such a relationship among older Chinese Americans. The third paper demonstrated the importance of examining different pathways among foreign-born and native-born Chinese older adults with regard to offspring’s support on their oral health outcomes. While increasing evidence shows that cognitive function is associated with oral health, limited studies have been conducted to examine the impact of cognitive impairment, e.g., Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and related dementias (RD), on dental care utilization and costs in older adults. The fourth paper aimed to address this knowledge gap. Results showed that AD and RD had different impacts on different types of dental care utilization and costs. The fifth paper further displayed that individuals with cognitive impairment face a significant challenge in handling dental-related medications. This symposium provides policy and clinical implications on improving oral health and dental care utilization among older adults in the U.S. Oral Health Interest Group Sponsored Symposium.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 800-800
Author(s):  
Sam Li ◽  
Isaac Donkor ◽  
Liang Hong ◽  
Kevin Lu ◽  
Bei Wu

Abstract There is limited information on the impact of cognition function on dental care utilization and costs. This study used the Medicare current beneficiaries survey in 2016 and included 4,268 participants 65+. Dental care utilization and costs were measured by self-report and included preventive and treatment events. Negative binomial regression and generalized linear regression were used to examine the impact of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and related dementia (RD) on dental care utilization and costs. We found that AD was not associated with dental care utilization, but RD was associated with a lower number of total treatment dental care visits (IRR: 0.60; 95% CI: 0.37~0.98). RD was not associated with dental care costs, but AD was associated with higher total dental care costs (estimate: 1.08; 95% CI: 0.14~2.01) and higher out-of-pocket costs (estimate: 1.25; 95% CI: 0.17~2.32). AD and RD had different impacts on different types of dental care utilization and costs. Part of a symposium sponsored by the Oral Health Interest Group.


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