Abstract
Evidence suggests that countries with neoliberal political and economic philosophical underpinnings have greater health inequalities compared to less neoliberal countries. But few studies examine how neoliberalism specifically impacts health inequalities involving highly vulnerable populations, such as Indigenous groups. Even fewer take this perspective from an oral health viewpoint. From a lens of indigenous groups in five countries (the United States, Canada, Australia, Aotearoa/New Zealand and Norway), this commentary provides critical insights of how neoliberalism, in domains including colonialism, racism, inter-generational trauma and health service provision, shapes oral health inequalities among Indigenous societies at a global level. We posit that all socially marginalised groups are disadvantaged under neoliberalism agendas, but that this is amplified among Indigenous groups because of ongoing legacies of colonialism, institutional racism and intergenerational trauma.
Highlights
Neoliberalism, a political orientation influenced by economists Friedman and Hayek, is the dominant economic and philosophical model underpinning the operation of many Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) governments [1]
First Nations persons who are registered under the Indian Act and Inuk who are recognized by an Inuit land claim organization are eligible for certain services such as dental care, by the Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB) program when medically necessary goods and services are not covered by other programs such as social programs, private insurance, or provincial/territorial health insurance [52]
Dental Disease and Dental Health Service Provision for Indigenous Persons in Aotearoa/New Zealand: Using data from the 2009 New Zealand Oral Health Survey, half (50%) of those identifying as Māori had untreated dental caries, compared with 34% of those identifying as non-Māori [77]
Summary
Neoliberalism, a political orientation influenced by economists Friedman and Hayek, is the dominant economic and philosophical model underpinning the operation of many Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) governments [1]. The historical treatments of Indigenous groups is reflected contemporarily by the sometimes universal poverty and inequality experienced; this is not always the case with other members of society who are socially disenfranchised [16]. From a lens of Indigenous groups in five countries The authors chose these five countries because of consistencies in the respective histories of neoliberalism, impacts of colonialism on the Indigenous populations and health service provision models [23,24]. Ethics approval was not required due to the commentary nature of the work
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