Abstract
Between 2001 and 2002, major legislative changes were made in Finland; coverage of subsidized oral health care was extended to cover the whole population.
Aims: This study aimed to analyse education-related inequality in untreated dental caries and restorative treatment need among adults aged 30 years and older living in Northern and Southern Finland in 2000 and in 2011. In addition, factors explaining the education-related inequality in the untreated dental caries and restorative treatment need were examined.
Methods: Data were taken from the Health 2000 and 2011 population based surveys including information gathered by interviews and clinical dental examinations from Southern and Northern Finland. Participants were recruited via stratified two-stage cluster sampling. Final sample sizes were 2,423 in 2000 and 1,192 in 2011, of whom 888 participated in both study years. Education-related inequalities in number of decayed or fractured teeth were analysed using Poisson regression analysis, relative and slope index of inequality. Explanatory variables were age, gender, time since last dental visit, tooth brushing frequency, marital status, perceived general health and residential location. Ethical approval for the Health 2000 and 2011 surveys was obtained from the coordinating ethics committee of the Helsinki and Uusimaa Hospital Region.
Results: Average number of decayed or fractured teeth decreased from 2000 to 2011 (from 0.93 to 0.73 p<0.05). Absolute and relative education-related inequalities decreased approximately 50-60% and 30% from 2000 to 2011, respectively. Tooth brushing frequency and time since last dental visit explained approximately 30-40% of the education-related inequalities. The contribution of time since last dental visit to the education-related inequalities was smaller in 2011 than in 2000.
Conclusions: After the major oral health care reform in Finland it seems that, from 2000 to 2011, the levels of untreated dental caries and restorative treatment need decreased hand in hand with educationrelated inequality.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.