Research on Science and Technology Published by Researchers at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (Policy interventions to improve the accessibility and affordability of Dutch dental care. A scoping review of effective interventions): Science – Science and Technology

2024 MAY 10 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- Research findings on science and technology are discussed in a new report. According to news originating from Amsterdam, Netherlands, by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, “Caries and periodontitis remain prevalent in the Netherlands. Given the assumption that increasing the accessibility and affordability of dental care can improve oral health outcomes, policy interventions aimed at improving these aspects may contribute to better oral health. To identify possible solutions, this scoping review firstly identifies policy interventions from around the world that have effectively improved the accessibility or affordability of dental care.”

The news reporters obtained a quote from the research from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam: “Secondly, this review discusses the potential of the policy interventions identified that are applicable to the Dutch healthcare sector specifically. A literature search was performed in four databases. Two reviewers independently screened all potentially relevant titles and abstracts before doing the same for the full texts. Only studies that had quantitatively evaluated the effectiveness of policy interventions aimed at improving the accessibility or affordability of dental care were included. 61 of the 1288 retrieved studies were included. Interventions were grouped into four categories. Capacity interventions (n = 5) mainly focused on task delegation. Coverage interventions (n = 25) involved the expansion of covered dental treatments or the group eligible for coverage. Managed care interventions (n = 20) were frequently implemented in school or community settings. Payment model interventions (n = 11) focused on dental reimbursement rates or capitation. 199 indicators were identified throughout the 61 included studies. Indicators were grouped into three categories: accessibility (n = 137), affordability (n = 21), and oral health status (n = 41).Based on the included studies, increasing managed care interventions for children and adding dental coverage to the basic health insurance plan for adults could improve access to dental care in the Netherlands.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “Due to possible spillover effects, it is advisable to investigate a combination of these policy interventions. Further research will be necessary for the development of effective policy interventions in practice.”

For more information on this research see: Policy interventions to improve the accessibility and affordability of Dutch dental care. A scoping review of effective interventions. Heliyon, 2024,10(9):e28886. (Heliyon - http://www.heliyon.com). The publisher for Heliyon is Elsevier.

A free version of this journal article is available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e28886.

Our news journalists report that more information may be obtained by contacting E.H. Wolf, Talma Instituut, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Faculty of Social Sciences, De Boelelaan 1105, 1081, HV Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands. Additional authors for this research include K.A. Ziesemer, E.J.E. Van der Hijden.

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