Abstract
Aims:The dental health sector, as part of the Swedish welfare system, originated in 1974. Since then, the dental insurance has undergone three major changes. The aim of this archive study was to study where in the legislative process the dental politics concerning national dental insurance and subsidies were formed.Materials and Methods:The material, such as Commission of inquiry proposals and Government Bills from four major dental reforms, was collected from the library at the Sveriges Riksdag (Swedish Parliament) and was analysed and structured using a modified version of the Health Field Model.Results:The views on the fundamental ideas, such as the connection between general and dental health, preventive dentistry, rehabilitation of the mouth and promotion of dental health, were the same over the years. The views on dentistry as a market, when it comes to freedom of prices, have undergone a major change since 1974, but the view on the welfare state remains the same.Conclusions:The Swedish dental subsidy systems and how dentistry has been treated politically are the results of a chain of events ranging from care for the population's dental health, political doctrines, ‘zeitgeist‚, dental policy, to state finances.
Highlights
IntroductionThe major aim of the dental insurance system was to ‘make good dental care financially accessible to all citizens’
The dental health sector, as part of the Swedish welfare system, originated in 1974.1,2 At that time, a dental insurance law was passed, making dentistry free of charge for children and young adults aged 3–19.3,4 Since 1974, the dental insurance has undergone three major changes: in 1999, 2002 and 2008, respectively.[5–7]The major aim of the dental insurance system was to ‘make good dental care financially accessible to all citizens’
Content description of the guidelines for the commissions of inquiry (Guide), the SOU reports from the commissions of inquiry (SOU) and Government bills (Bill) for the dental reforms are presented in Tables 1 and 2
Summary
The major aim of the dental insurance system was to ‘make good dental care financially accessible to all citizens’. Dental care became part of the welfare system, in which the state plays a key role in the protection and promotion of the economic and social distribution of wealth, combined with a responsibility for those unable to provide for themselves. The extent of the state subsidies for care was decided by the dental conditions, and not by the economic situation of the citizen.[1]. The dental insurance of 1974, as well as the following reforms, had a major impact on everything concerning dental care. The insurance made it possible for the majority of Swedes to afford dental treatment of all kinds.[8]. Lalonde,[9] who was the Canadian Minister of National Health and Welfare in 1974, proposed a new ‘Health Field’ concept for the understanding of the problems and their causes undermining good health and quality of life for Canadian citizens, and legitimate federal responses ascertained towards these causes
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