Abstract
A deep economic crisis started in Italy in 2008 leading to a reduction of general household consumptions, especially in the oral health care sector. The dental sector is characterized by the almost exclusively private nature of the services offered outside the INHS, thus taking the form of a demand-driven sector. The paper focuses on Italian dentists' perception of the economic crisis. It presents the first findings of an empirical research that was carried out in order to verify if and to what extent this occupational category perceived the economic crisis, if any threats were felt, what changes and challenges it was experiencing and what kind of strategies the profession has been implementing in order to overcome the crisis. Although dentists clearly state their problems and the perceived threats, they are not able to identify possible solutions as well.
Highlights
In 2008 a deep economic crisis, proved by a reduction in wealth in terms of gross domestic product (-1.2% in 2008) [1], began in Italy
The explosion of the crisis was due to economic events that highlighted the strong contradictions of an already unbalanced and wobbly economic system [2,3]: even before 2008 the Italian economy was beset by structural problems that slowed down its growth and limited its ability to react adequately to external shocks
The present paper focuses on Italian dentists’ perception of the economic crisis
Summary
In 2008 a deep economic crisis, proved by a reduction in wealth in terms of gross domestic product (-1.2% in 2008) [1], began in Italy. The reduction in consumptions, due to the forgoing of care, can have significant consequences in terms of oral health, exacerbating the already high social and health inequalities Whereas this situation might be considered acceptable in a period of economic development and widespread prosperity, currently, 7 years since the onset of the crisis, the demand for a major public regulation of the dental sector as well as wider public coverage has increased. Because of its peculiar characteristics, dentistry appears, instead, to be a interesting field of study, first of all from a sociological point of view For this reason, the Interdepartmental Centre for the Research and Services on Social and Health Integration (CRISS) of the Università Politecnica delle Marche has formed a collaborative relationship with the Provincial Order of Physicians and Dentists of Ancona in order to carry out research on the dental profession, on its historical evolution and on the configuration of oral health in Italy. Some preliminary findings, focusing on the current situation, will be presented of this article
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