Abstract
BackgroundThere are many determinants that can affect inequality in oral and dental health. This study is aimed to explore the main determinants of inequality in both utilization and provision of dental services in Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries.MethodsFour databases including PubMed, ISI WOS, Scopus, and ProQuest were searched up to 8 Aug 2020, applying the relevant keywords. Thematic analysis was used for synthesizing and extracting data. Trend analysis was applied to determine the trends of the inequality determinants.ResultsThematic analysis led to 6 main themes, 13 sub-themes, and 53 sub-sub-themes. The main themes represent the main inequality determinants for both utilization and provision of dental services. The streamgraph illustrated that fewer studies have been conducted on social and cultural determinants, and for almost all determinants the trend of published articles has been increasing since 2007, with the exception of health policies.ConclusionsInequality in the utilization and provision of dental services is addressed by various factors including individual, social, cultural and economic determinants, health policies, and availability of services. The first four determinants are related to utilization and the last two are related to the provision of services. All these aspects must be considered to reduce inequality in dental services.
Highlights
There are many determinants that can affect inequality in oral and dental health
It has been reported that people of a lower socioeconomic level experience more burden from morbidity and mortality of diseases compared with other groups [1, 2]
Oral health is believed to be highly associated with socioeconomic status [3]
Summary
There are many determinants that can affect inequality in oral and dental health. This study is aimed to explore the main determinants of inequality in both utilization and provision of dental services in Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. There are multiple determinants which can affect health status. It has been reported that people of a lower socioeconomic level experience more burden from morbidity and mortality of diseases compared with other groups [1, 2]. Oral health is believed to be highly associated with socioeconomic status [3]. Dental diseases are among the most prominent public health issues, due to their high universal prevalence and direct effect on quality of life [4].
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