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Cited by 125Dental Health and Care UtilizationHealth Promotion and Cardiovascular PreventionDental Education, Practice, Research

The impact of demographic, health-related and social factors on dental services utilization: Systematic review and meta-analysis

Reda, Seif Magdy, Krois, Joachim, Reda, Sophie Franziska, Thomson, William Murray, Schwendicke, Falk·2018·Journal of Dentistry
DOI 10.1016/j.jdent.2018.04.010
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Abstract

Objectives Regular and/or preventive dental services utilization is an indicator of healthcare access and associated with improved health outcomes. We assessed the proportion of individuals regularly/preventively utilizing dental services, and how this was affected by demographic, health-related and social factors.Sources Three electronic databases (Medline, Embase, Central) were searched (2005-2017).Study selection We included observational studies investigating the association between preventive/regular dental service utilization and age, oral and general health, edentulism, family structure and health literacy.Data The proportion of individuals with regular/preventive utilization overall and in different sub-groups were extracted. Random-effects meta-analyses, with subgroup analyses by region, were performed. Meta-regression was used to assess whether and how associations changed with time and countries' human developmental status (HDI). 103 studies on 7,395,697 participants from 28 countries were included. The global mean (95% CI) proportion of individuals regularly/preventively utilizing dental services was 54% (50-59%). In countries with higher HDI, more individuals regularly/preventively utilized services (p < 0.001). Age did not have a significant impact on utilization in adults (OR = 1.00; 0.89-1.12). Utilization was significantly lower in younger than older children (OR = 0.52; 0.46-0.59), individuals with poorer general health (OR = 0.73; 0.65-0.80) and poorer oral health (OR = 0.64; 0.52-0.75), edentulous individuals (OR = 0.32; 0.23-0.41), and individuals with less supportive family structures (OR = 0.81; 0.73-0.89) or poor health literacy (OR = 0.41; 0.01-0.81). The observed differences within populations did not significantly change with time and were universally present.Conclusions Regular/preventive utilization varied widely between and within countries. Understanding and tackling the reasons underlying this may help to consistently improve utilization.Clinical significance Higher developmental status of countries is reflected in greater regular/preventive utilization of dental services. However, large demographic, health-related and social differences in utilization remain. These may contribute to dental health inequalities.

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  • Previous studies have shown evidence that similar variables are predictors for NCD incidence and for health workforce.

    “Previous studies have shown evidence that similar variables are predictors for NCD incidence [20,21,22] and for health workforce [23].”

    From Oral health workforce in Africa: a scarce resource (2023) · cites this paper as [21]

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Authors
Reda, S. M., Krois, J., Reda, S. F., Thomson, W. M., & Schwendicke, F.
Affiliations
  • Stiftung Charité (DE)
  • University of Otago (NZ)
Corresponding author
Schwendicke, Falk
ORCID
Venue
Journal of Dentistry
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2018-08
Volume
75
Pages
1-6
ISSN
0300-5712 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.jdent.2018.04.010
OpenAlex
W2799740911
Cited by
125
References
41
Citations by year
2026: 14 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 18 · 2023: 14 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 23 · 2020: 25 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 2
FWCI
2.01
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
Locations
  • Journal of Dentistry (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Dentistry › Periodontics › Dental Health and Care Utilization
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Health Promotion and Cardiovascular Prevention
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Dental Education, Practice, Research
Keywords
service utilization, preventive dentistry, health care access, oral health, health status, edentulism, family structure, health literacy, Human Development Index, socioeconomic disparities, children's dental care, determinants of health care use, cross-national comparison, dental caries prevention, oral cancer screening, periodontal disease
MeSH terms
Facilities and Services Utilization, Adult, Child, Demography, Dental Care, Humans, Oral Health, Socioeconomic Factors

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