Income-Related Inequalities in Access to Dental Care Services in Japan

Akemi Nishide, Misuzu Fujita, Yasunori Sato, Kengo Nagashima, Sho Takahashi and Akira Hata
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Akemi Nishide: Department of Public Health, Chiba University Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba 260-8670, Japan
Misuzu Fujita: Department of Public Health, Chiba University Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba 260-8670, Japan
Yasunori Sato: Department of Global Clinical Research, Chiba University Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba 260-0870, Japan
Kengo Nagashima: Department of Global Clinical Research, Chiba University Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba 260-0870, Japan
Sho Takahashi: Clinical Research Center, Chiba University Hospital, Chiba 260-0870, Japan
Akira Hata: Department of Public Health, Chiba University Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba 260-8670, Japan

IJERPH, 2017, vol. 14, issue 5, 1-10

Abstract: Background : This study aimed to evaluate whether income-related inequalities in access to dental care services exist in Japan. Methods : The subjects included beneficiaries of the National Health Insurance (NHI) in Chiba City, Japan, who had been enrolled from 1 April 2014 to 31 March 2015. The presence or absence of dental visits and number of days spent on dental care services during the year were calculated using insurance claims submitted. Equivalent household income was calculated using individual income data from 1 January to 31 December 2013, declared for taxation. Results : Of the 216,211 enrolled subjects, 50.3% had dental care during the year. Among those with dental visits, the average number of days (standard deviation) spent on dental care services per year was 7.7 (7.1). Low income was associated with a decreased rate of dental care utilization regardless of age and sex. However, there was a significant inverse linear association between the number of days spent on dental care services and income levels for both sexes. Conclusions : There were income-related inequalities in access to dental care services, regardless of the age group or sex, within the Japanese universal health insurance system.

Keywords: socioeconomic status; access to dental care services; inequality (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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