Regional Inequality in Dental Care Utilization in Japan: An Ecological Study Using the National Database of Health Insurance Claims.

ABSTRACT:

Background

This study examined regional inequalities in dental care utilization in Japan and the association of dental care utilization with socioeconomic factors.

Methods

Using the Fourth National Database of Health Insurance Claims and Specific Health Checkups of Japan Open data, this ecological study analyzed 216 million pieces of aggregated data from April 2017 to March 2018. Nine indicators of dental care utilization were used: outpatient visits, outreach services, cavity fillings, pulpectomies, dental calculus removals, periodontal surgeries, tooth extractions, dental bridges, and dentures. Standardized claim ratios (SCRs) for these indicators were calculated for Japan's 47 prefectures, which were divided into three groups based on the number of dental clinics per popu

SUBMITTER: Taira K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8356097 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature