Socioeconomic-Related Inequalities in Dental Care Utilization in Northwestern Iran.

Rezaei, S; Pulok, MH; Zahirian Moghadam, T; Zandian, H

Socioeconomic-Related Inequalities in Dental Care Utilization in Northwestern Iran.

Rezaei, S Pulok, MH Zahirian Moghadam, T Zandian, H

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Publisher:: Informa UK Limited
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Clinical, cosmetic and investigational dentistry, 2020, 12, pp. 181-189
Issue Date:: 2020-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Rezaei, S
dc.contributor.author	Pulok, MH
dc.contributor.author	Zahirian Moghadam, T
dc.contributor.author	Zandian, H
dc.date.accessioned	2021-03-31T10:01:02Z
dc.date.available	2020-04-17
dc.date.available	2021-03-31T10:01:02Z
dc.date.issued	2020-01
dc.identifier.citation	Clinical, cosmetic and investigational dentistry, 2020, 12, pp. 181-189
dc.identifier.issn	1179-1357
dc.identifier.issn	1179-1357
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/147738
dc.description.abstract	Introduction:There have been multiple studies on socioeconomic-related inequalities in the use of dental services in Iran, but the evidence is still limited. This study measured inequality in dental care utilization by socioeconomic status and examined factors explaining this inequality among households in Ardabil, Iran in 2019. Methods:A total of 436 household heads participated in this cross-sectional study. Using a validated questionnaire, face-to-face interviews were conducted to collect data on dental care utilization, unmet needs, sociodemographic characteristics, economic status, health insurance, and oral health status of the participants. We used the concentration curve and relative concentration index (RCI) to visualize and quantify the level of inequality in dental care utilization by income. Regression-based decomposition was also applied to understand the causes of inequality. Results:About 59.2% (95% CI 54.4%-63.7%) and 14.7% (95% CI 11.6%-18.4%) of participants had visited a dentist for dental treatment in the previous 12 months and for 6-month dental checkups, respectively. The RCI for the probability of visiting a dentist in the last 12 months was 0.243 (95% CI 0.140-0.346). This suggests that dental care utilization was more concentrated among the rich. The RCI for unmet dental care needs was negative, which indicates more prevalence among the poor. Monthly household income (20.9%), self-rated oral health (6.9%), regular brushing (3.2%), and dental health insurance (2.5%) were the main factors in socioeconomic inequality in dental care utilization. Conclusion:This study reveals that dental care-service utilization did not match the need for dental care, due to differences in socioeconomic status in Ardabil, Iran. Policies could be implemented to increase the coverage of dental care services among socioeconomically disadvantaged groups to tackle socioeconomic-related inequality in dental care utilization.
dc.format	Electronic-eCollection
dc.language	eng
dc.publisher	Informa UK Limited
dc.relation.ispartof	Clinical, cosmetic and investigational dentistry
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.2147/ccide.s253242
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccess
dc.subject	1105 Dentistry
dc.title	Socioeconomic-Related Inequalities in Dental Care Utilization in Northwestern Iran.
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	12
utslib.location.activity	New Zealand
utslib.for	1105 Dentistry
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/DVC (International)
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access	*
dc.date.updated	2021-03-31T10:00:58Z
pubs.publication-status	Published
pubs.volume	12

Abstract:

Introduction:There have been multiple studies on socioeconomic-related inequalities in the use of dental services in Iran, but the evidence is still limited. This study measured inequality in dental care utilization by socioeconomic status and examined factors explaining this inequality among households in Ardabil, Iran in 2019. Methods:A total of 436 household heads participated in this cross-sectional study. Using a validated questionnaire, face-to-face interviews were conducted to collect data on dental care utilization, unmet needs, sociodemographic characteristics, economic status, health insurance, and oral health status of the participants. We used the concentration curve and relative concentration index (RCI) to visualize and quantify the level of inequality in dental care utilization by income. Regression-based decomposition was also applied to understand the causes of inequality. Results:About 59.2% (95% CI 54.4%-63.7%) and 14.7% (95% CI 11.6%-18.4%) of participants had visited a dentist for dental treatment in the previous 12 months and for 6-month dental checkups, respectively. The RCI for the probability of visiting a dentist in the last 12 months was 0.243 (95% CI 0.140-0.346). This suggests that dental care utilization was more concentrated among the rich. The RCI for unmet dental care needs was negative, which indicates more prevalence among the poor. Monthly household income (20.9%), self-rated oral health (6.9%), regular brushing (3.2%), and dental health insurance (2.5%) were the main factors in socioeconomic inequality in dental care utilization. Conclusion:This study reveals that dental care-service utilization did not match the need for dental care, due to differences in socioeconomic status in Ardabil, Iran. Policies could be implemented to increase the coverage of dental care services among socioeconomically disadvantaged groups to tackle socioeconomic-related inequality in dental care utilization.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/147738