Did expanded access to denture services improve chewing ability in the Korean older population? Results of a regression discontinuity analysis.

ABSTRACT: The Korean National Health Insurance expanded the dental insurance in 2012 to cover denture services for older adults. We analyzed whether the new policy improved of chewing ability in the eligible population. We used regression discontinuity (RD), a quasi-experimental design, to analyze the effects of the expanded dental insurance. We analyzed data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted in 2010 and 2015. The study population consisted of two groups: the treatment group, aged 65 and above who were eligible; and the control group, under 65 years of age who were not eligible for the dental insurance benefit. The main outcome evaluated was self-reported chewing difficulty. The RD analysis showed that in 2015, the chewing difficulty in aged above 65 was 2.2%

SUBMITTER: Kim NH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7368076 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature