Socio-Economic Determinants of Dental Service Expenditure: Findings from a French National Survey

Anne-Charlotte Bas and Sylvie Azogui-Lévy
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Anne-Charlotte Bas: Dental Public Health Department, Faculty of Dentistry, Paris University, 75006 Paris, France
Sylvie Azogui-Lévy: Dental Public Health Department, Faculty of Dentistry, Paris University, 75006 Paris, France

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 3, 1-10

Abstract: (1) Background: This study investigated how individual enabling resources influence (i) their probability of using dental services and (ii) consumers’ expenditure on dental treatment. (2) Methods: Data were derived from a self-administered national health survey questionnaire and from expenditure data from national health insurance. Multiple linear regression methods were used to analyze entry into the dental health system (yes/no) and, independently, the individual expenditure of dental care users. (3) Results: People with the highest incomes were more likely to use dental service (aOR = 1.59; 95% CI = 1.28, 1.97), as were those with complementary health insurance and the lowest deprivation scores. For people using dental services, good dental health status was associated with less expenditure (−70.81 EUR; 95% CI = −116.53, −25.08). For dental service users, the highest deprivation score was associated with EUR +43.61 dental expenditure (95% CI = −0.15; 87.39). (4) Conclusion: Socioeconomic determinants that were especially important for entry into the dental health service system were relatively insignificant for ongoing service utilization. These results are consistent with our hypothesis of a dental care utilization process in two steps. Public policies in countries with private fees for dentistry should improve the clarity of dental fees and insurance payments.

Keywords: oral health; healthcare disparities; access to care; health expenditure; health service research; health economics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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