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. 2021 Aug 10;10(1):222.
doi: 10.1186/s13643-021-01779-2.

Inequalities in utilization and provision of dental services: a scoping review

Arash Ghanbarzadegan  1 , Peivand Bastani  2 , Liana Luzzi  1 , David Brennan  1
Affiliations

Inequalities in utilization and provision of dental services: a scoping review

Arash Ghanbarzadegan et al. Syst Rev. .

Abstract

Background: There are many determinants that can affect inequality in oral and dental health. This study is aimed to explore the main determinants of inequality in both utilization and provision of dental services in Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries.

Methods: Four databases including PubMed, ISI WOS, Scopus, and ProQuest were searched up to 8 Aug 2020, applying the relevant keywords. Thematic analysis was used for synthesizing and extracting data. Trend analysis was applied to determine the trends of the inequality determinants.

Results: Thematic analysis led to 6 main themes, 13 sub-themes, and 53 sub-sub-themes. The main themes represent the main inequality determinants for both utilization and provision of dental services. The streamgraph illustrated that fewer studies have been conducted on social and cultural determinants, and for almost all determinants the trend of published articles has been increasing since 2007, with the exception of health policies.

Conclusions: Inequality in the utilization and provision of dental services is addressed by various factors including individual, social, cultural and economic determinants, health policies, and availability of services. The first four determinants are related to utilization and the last two are related to the provision of services. All these aspects must be considered to reduce inequality in dental services.

Keywords: Developed countries; Disparities; Oral health.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The study selection flowchart (PRISMA)
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
The concept map of inequality by the two dimensions of provision and utilization
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
The time trend of publications based on their year and country of publication
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Time trend of the studies based on the main determinants of inequality
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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