Abstract
In South Korea, the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) began its coverage of dentures and dental implants for older people in 2012 and 2014, respectively. This study aimed to investigate the impact of these policies on dental care utilization among people aged 65 years or older according to their sociodemographic characteristics. Data were collected from the Korea Health Panel Survey (KHP; years 2012 and 2015). The statistical significance of the relationships between sociodemographic characteristics and the use of outpatient dental care, denture, and dental implant were analyzed. Results showed an increase of 5.7%, 1.4%, and 2.8% in the use of outpatient dental care, denture, and dental implant, respectively, over the course of three years. Including dentures increased its use by 2.5–3.7 times among people aged 70 years or older. Including dental implants alleviated the disparities among older adults based on age groups and duration of education, except those among uneducated people; however, it caused inequity according to household income. Some Korean older adults remain neglected from the benefits of the expanded NHIS. Therefore, older adults’ access to dental care should be enhanced by the implementation of policies to promote oral health care utilization, dental prosthetic services, and older adults’ insurance coverage.
Highlights
With the rapid extension of the human lifespan in the late 20th century, interest in older people’s health and quality of life (QOL) is mounting
As a part of this assessment pertaining to the National Health Insurance (NHI) coverage of dentures and dental implants in South Korea, this study aimed to investigate its impact on the dental care utilization of South Korean older people according to their sociodemographic characteristics
As a result of the expanding coverage of dental prostheses for older people, dental care utilization, denture use, and dental implant use all increased in 2015 compared to their use in 2012, with an increase of 5.7% (24.7 to 30.4), 1.4% (3.5 to 4.9), and 2.8% (2.3 to 5.1), respectively
Summary
With the rapid extension of the human lifespan in the late 20th century, interest in older people’s health and quality of life (QOL) is mounting. Diminished masticatory abilities as a result of tooth loss among older people may have an impact on physical functions other than those related to their oral health [1]. Multiple tooth loss among older people has been associated with reduced. Multiple tooth loss in older people is the cumulative result of dental caries and periodontal diseases that have occurred throughout their lives [8,9]. To restore oral functions hindered by multiple tooth loss, costly dental prosthetic services, such as dentures and dental implants, are needed. To prevent multiple tooth loss, the importance of lifelong prevention and management of oral diseases should be emphasized [10,11]
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