Abstract
Background: Dental health is an important factor in daily life routines and is closely associated with maintaining a health-related quality of life. This study examined denture procedure changes after implementation of the National Health Insurance (NHI) Coverage of Dentures for the elderly. Methods: We used the “Korean Community Health Survey (KCHS)” developed by the Korea Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention. We analyzed the association between policy implementation and dental health-related outcomes using difference-in-differences (DID) analysis to compare patients aged ≥75 with those 65–74 years before and after coverage. Results: A comparison of age groups and coverage periods showed that patients aged ≥75 years had higher (OR: 1.038, 95% CI: 1.021–1.055) procedure rates after coverage. In particular, elderly patients on medical aid had significantly higher denture procedure rates, while those without oral health screening were more likely to have denture procedures. Conclusions: This study determined the impact of the NHI Coverage of Denture procedure policy for the elderly and found increased denture treatments in the elderly. This policy appeared to positively affect older patients by increasing denture procedures for low-income and medical aid beneficiaries. Hence, the government needs to increase oral health examination and dental health policies for the elderly.
Highlights
Introduction published maps and institutional affilCurrently, aging of the population has resulted in an increased incidence of healthrelated problems in the elderly, such as declining physical function and other health disorders
In the group that received oral health screening, the denture procedure rates based on age groups
Numerous countries have achieved the goal of the National Health Insurance (NHI) plan by addressing health disparities through sustained efforts to improve healthcare accessibility
Summary
Aging of the population has resulted in an increased incidence of healthrelated problems in the elderly, such as declining physical function and other health disorders. The Korean government has implemented numerous policies to alleviate the economic, social, and mental health problems of the elderly. The elderly policy covers services such as health and welfare for older individuals, services related to iations. This study examined denture procedure changes after implementation of the National Health Insurance (NHI) Coverage of Dentures for the elderly. We analyzed the association between policy implementation and dental health-related outcomes using difference-in-differences (DID) analysis to compare patients aged ≥75 with those 65–74 years before and after coverage. Elderly patients on medical aid had significantly higher denture procedure rates, while those without oral health screening were more likely to have denture procedures.
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