Factors associated with the persistence of unmet dental care needs

Unmet Dental Care Needs among Korean National Health Insurance Beneficiaries Based on Income Inequalities: Results from Five Waves of a Population-Based Panel Study

“…In addition, self-employed beneficiaries were more likely to experience an inability to receive necessary dental care owing to economic burdens than insured employees were (OR = 1.31, 95% CI = 1.21-1.43). These findings were consistent with those in the recent Korean literature, which suggests that over the past three years, self-employed beneficiaries experienced unmet dental care needs 1.69 times more than insured employees did [22]. Further, the present study provided evidence on the relationship between disparities and dental service access in South Korea's NHI system.…”

“…In particular, the elderly who fall in the self-employed beneficiary group, and report low incomes owing to retirement, have poorer health conditions resulting from their tendency to forgo healthcare [8]. Thus, it is likely that the elderly population among self-employed beneficiaries may have been negatively affected by avoiding utilizing dental services [22]. Further, prior evidence suggests that premium rates can impact medical utilization and/or attitudes toward healthcare [6,8].…”

“…Previous studies have confirmed that vulnerable and deprived populations in many countries experience considerable barriers to dental care [12,[14][15][16]. Among those affected, older adults [17,18], individuals with lower income [11,15], and education levels [9,19], those without dental insurance [20,21], and the self-employed [22] are less likely to visit a dentist. Lee et al reported social inequalities in dental care access for periodontal treatments between insured employees and self-employed beneficiaries, with the latter less likely to receive such treatment [23].…”

“…Employment status was considered to be an enabling factor and grouped into (1) permanent employment, (2) temporary employment, (3) self-employment, and (4) economically inactive (e.g., housewives, students, or early retirees). We selected self-rated health, chronic diseases, and disability, known to affect unmet dental care need as need factors [22,26]. Self-rated health was divided into three groups: respondents who reported their health to be excellent, fair, or poor were coded as 1, 2, and 3, respectively.…”

“…Lee et al reported social inequalities in dental care access for periodontal treatments between insured employees and self-employed beneficiaries, with the latter less likely to receive such treatment [23]. Park and Che reported cases of self-employed beneficiaries who had been unable to obtain the necessary dental care for three consecutive years [22]. Moreover, Choi et al recently suggested that self-employed workers are more likely to face barriers in access to dental care as a result of economic hardships than full-time permanent workers are [24].…”