Abstract
Many countries provide preventive dental care for children to reduce inequalities. In Korea, the registered dentists’ program was implemented to promote oral health and prevent oral diseases in primary school students. This study aimed to evaluate the registered dentist program through the sealant utilization rate using national cohort data and to compare the socioeconomic gap of the cohorts by participation. The sample cohort data were obtained from the National Health Insurance Sharing Service (NHISS) in South Korea. The utilization of dental sealants was analyzed using the chi-square test according to the independent variables of each year. To identify the independent effects of participation in the registered dentists’ program, a panel logistic regression analysis of the utilization of dental sealants was performed. The participants were 1.35 times more likely to have dental sealants than non-participants. The significance of income quintiles disappeared in the case groups. The gap became more obvious in the employees of the control group even after adjusting for all variables. Implementing oral health programs can alleviate inequality with a relative increase in utilization in vulnerable populations.
Highlights
During the childhood period, oral health and related behaviors are crucial because they affect growth and development until adulthood [1]
This study aimed to evaluate the registered dentist program through the sealant utilization rate using national cohort data and to compare the socioeconomic gap of the cohorts by participation
The utilization rate of dental sealants in the study population ranged from 9.4% to 17.4%
Summary
Oral health and related behaviors are crucial because they affect growth and development until adulthood [1]. Dental caries is the most common chronic disease in children and it is a global burden of disease and a public health challenge [2,3]. There are various risk factors, for example, oral health behaviors including tooth brushing to remove dental plaque and to improve the dental hygienic environment [4–6]. Oral health management reduces dental costs in the long term [7] and proper care for dental caries increases the growth rate and improves the quality of life [8]. Socioeconomic position (SEP) is an important factor in determining oral health status [2,9–11] and dental treatment in children [12]. Oral disease is described as “a sensitive clinical marker of disadvantage, being an early indicator of population ill health” [2]
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