Socioeconomic differences in utilization of public and private dental care in Finland: Register-based evidence on a population aged 25 and over.

ABSTRACT: Dental care utilization is known to have a strong socioeconomic gradient, with lower socioeconomic groups utilizing less of these services despite having poorer dental health. However, less is known about the utilization of dental services in the population concurrently in the public and private sectors in different socioeconomic groups. Additionally, evidence on how different sectors contribute to the overall socioeconomic gradient in dental care utilization is scarce. This study examines visits and absence of visits to public and private dentists in the years 2017-2018 by education, occupational class and income. Comprehensive register data was collected from the total population aged 25 and over in the city of Oulu, Finland (N = 118,397). The data were analyzed with descriptive methods

SUBMITTER: Nurminen M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8336838 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature