Abstract
BackgroundThe aims of this study were to determine self-rated oral health and dental attendance habits among Swedish adults, with special reference to the role of social inequalities, after the Swedish dental care reform in 2008.MethodsThe study is based on a survey questionnaire, sent to 12,235 residents of a Swedish county, in 2012. The age group was 16–84 years: 5,999 (49%) responded. Using chi-square statistics, differences in prevalence of self-rated oral health and regular dental attendance were analysed with respect to gender, age, educational level, family status, employment status and country of birth. Self-rated poor oral health was analysed by multivarite logistic regression adjusting for the different socio-demographic factors, financial security and having refrained from dental treatment for financial reasons.ResultsThree out of four respondents (75%) reported fairly good or very good oral health. Almost 90% claimed to be regular dental attenders. Those who were financially secure reported better oral health. The differences in oral health between those with a cash margin and those without were large whereas the differences between age groups were rather small. About 8% reported that they had refrained from dental treatment for financial reasons during the last three months. Self-rated poor oral health was most common among the unemployed, those on disability pension or on long-term sick leave, those born outside the Nordic countries and those with no cash margin (odds ratios ranging from 2.4 to 4.4). The most important factor contributing to these differences was having refrained from dental treatment for financial reasons.ConclusionThe results are relevant to strategies intended to reduce social inequalities in oral health, affirming the importance of the provision of equitable access to dental care.
Highlights
The aims of this study were to determine self-rated oral health and dental attendance habits amongSwedish adults, with special reference to the role of social inequalities, after the Swedish dental care reform in 2008
The results are relevant to strategies intended to reduce social inequalities in oral health, affirming the importance of the provision of equitable access to dental care
Further analysis showed that differences in oral health in relation to country of birth, employment status, disability pension and long-term sick leave are largely explained by differences in the proportion who refrain from dental treatment for financial reasons
Summary
The aims of this study were to determine self-rated oral health and dental attendance habits amongSwedish adults, with special reference to the role of social inequalities, after the Swedish dental care reform in 2008. The aims of this study were to determine self-rated oral health and dental attendance habits among. By the late twentieth century, the oral health of the Swedish population, especially among children and adolescents, had improved dramatically [1]. As this population ages, a greater proportion of older adults will retain their natural dentitions; over time the dental treatment needs of the elderly are expected to increase [2]. Swedish studies of oral health and dental attendance report that over 80 percent of adults visit a dentist within a two-year period [3]. In the Swedish context, financial limitations are cited as the most common reason [1]
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