title: Disparity in dental coverage among older adult populations: a comparative analysis across selected European countries and the USA.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Insurance against the cost of preventing and treating oral diseases can reduce inequities in dental-care use and oral health. The purpose of this study was to examine the extent of variation in dental insurance coverage for older adult populations within and between the USA and various European countries.
  
  
  METHODS
  The analyses relied on 2006-2007 data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) and on 2004-2006 data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) in the USA for respondents 51 years of age and older. A series of logistic regression models was estimated to identify disparities in dental coverage.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The highest extent of significant insurance differences between various population subgroups was found for the USA. In comparison with southern and eastern European countries, a lower number of significant differences in coverage was found for Scandinavian countries. Countries categorised as having comprehensive public insurance coverage showed a tendency towards less insurance variation within their populations than did countries categorised as not having comprehensive public coverage. The exceptions were Poland and Switzerland.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings of the present study suggest that significant variations in dental coverage exist within all elderly populations examined and that the extent of inequalities also differs between countries. By and large, the observed variations corroborate the perception that population dental coverage is more equally distributed under public subsidy. This could be relevant information for decision makers who seek to improve policies in order to provide more equitable dental coverage.
authors.affiliation: Dental Public Health, University of Maryland School of Dentistry, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Manski
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Moeller
authors.forename: Haiyan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Eeva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Widström
authors.forename: Jinkook
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Listl
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003710:Demography; D003729:Dental Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D054625:Healthcare Disparities; D006801:Humans; D019458:Insurance Coverage / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007347:Insurance, Dental / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014481:United States
keywords: Dental insurance coverage; Europe; USA; elderly populations; inequalities