A register-based study of variations in services received among dental care attenders.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate whether receipt of dental services, among attenders, reflects variations in dental health or whether and to what degree it is associated with socioeconomic status, with irregular or regular dental attendance and with the availability of dentists in residential areas.


METHODS
This retrospective register-based study followed two Danish cohorts, aged 25 and 40, with a dental examination in 2009 (n = 32,351). The dental service data were registered during 2005-2009. The number of dental examinations, individual preventive services (IPS), tooth extractions, root fillings and composite fillings were analyzed in relation to socioeconomic status, irregular/regular dental attendance, inhabitant/dentist ratio and to DMFT at age 15 (DMFT15) and change in DMFT (ΔDMFT) from age 15 to age 25 and age 40, respectively. Poisson regression and negative binomial regression analyses were used.


RESULTS
The variations in number of services received in the study population were small (SD = 0.2-2.7). However, with a few exceptions, high levels of DMFT15 and ΔDMFT were associated with receipt of more dental services. Socioeconomically-privileged individuals received more dental examinations but fewer tooth extractions, root fillings and composite fillings compared to disadvantaged persons, when controlled for dental health levels. Irregular attenders received fewer IPS and composite fillings but had more extractions compared to regular attenders.


CONCLUSIONS
Variations in dental care services were found to reflect variations in dental health, but the variations were also related to individual socioeconomic status, residential area and dental attendance patterns.
a 1 Section for Periodontology and Community Dentistry, Department of Odontology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen , Copenhagen, Denmark.
Kasper
K
Rosing
a 1 Section for Periodontology and Community Dentistry, Department of Odontology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen , Copenhagen, Denmark.|b 2 Department for Special Care Dentistry , City of Copenhagen, Denmark.
Børge
B
Hede
a 1 Section for Periodontology and Community Dentistry, Department of Odontology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen , Copenhagen, Denmark.
Lisa Bøge
LB
Christensen
D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003188:Composite Resins / Q000737:chemistry; D004245:DMF Index; D003729:Dental Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003764:Dental Materials / Q000737:chemistry; D003793:Dental Restoration, Permanent / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D000067455:No-Show Patients / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009909:Oral Health; D011313:Preventive Dentistry / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012042:Registries; D012111:Residence Characteristics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012390:Root Canal Therapy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012737:Sex Factors; D012923:Social Class; D014081:Tooth Extraction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D035862:Vulnerable Populations / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
D003188:Composite Resins; D003764:Dental Materials
Dental care supply and distribution; dental care utilization; socioeconomic status