Study Data from University of Maryland Update Understanding of Dentistry (Disparity in dental coverage among older adult populations: a comparative…

Health & Medicine Week

Study Data from University of Maryland Update Understanding of Dentistry (Disparity in dental coverage among older adult populations: a comparative analysis across selected European countries and the USA)

By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Health & Medicine Week -- Data detailed on Dentistry have been presented. According to news reporting originating from Baltimore, Maryland, by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, "Insurance against the cost of preventing and treating oral diseases can reduce inequities in dental-care use and oral health. The purpose of this study was to examine the extent of variation in dental insurance coverage for older adult populations within and between the USA and various European countries."

Our news editors obtained a quote from the research from the University of Maryland, "The analyses relied on 2006-2007 data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) and on 2004-2006 data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) in the USA for respondents 51 years of age and older. A series of logistic regression models was estimated to identify disparities in dental coverage. The highest extent of significant insurance differences between various population subgroups was found for the USA. In comparison with southern and eastern European countries, a lower number of significant differences in coverage was found for Scandinavian countries. Countries categorised as having comprehensive public insurance coverage showed a tendency towards less insurance variation within their populations than did countries categorised as not having comprehensive public coverage. The exceptions were Poland and Switzerland. The findings of the present study suggest that significant variations in dental coverage exist within all elderly populations examined and that the extent of inequalities also differs between countries. By and large, the observed variations corroborate the perception that population dental coverage is more equally distributed under public subsidy."

According to the news editors, the research concluded: "This could be relevant information for decision makers who seek to improve policies in order to provide more equitable dental coverage."

For more information on this research see: Disparity in dental coverage among older adult populations: a comparative analysis across selected European countries and the USA. International Dental Journal, 2015;65(2):77-88. International Dental Journal can be contacted at: F D I World Dental Press LTD, 5 Battery Green Rd, Lowestoft NR32 1 de, Suffolk, England. (Wiley-Blackwell - www.wiley.com/; International Dental Journal - onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1875-595X)

The news editors report that additional information may be obtained by contacting R. Manski, Dental Public Health, University of Maryland School of Dentistry, Baltimore, MD, United States. Additional authors for this research include J. Moeller, H. Chen, E. Widstrom, J. Lee and S. Listl (see also Dentistry).

Publisher contact information for the International Dental Journal is: F D I World Dental Press LTD, 5 Battery Green Rd, Lowestoft NR32 1 de, Suffolk, England.

Keywords for this news article include: Maryland, Baltimore, Dentistry, United States, North and Central America.