Assessing the Contribution of the Dental Care Delivery System to Oral Health Care Disparities (Journal of Public Health Dentistry)
Existing studies of disparities in access to oral health care for underserved populations often focus on supply, such as the number of dentists. This overlooks other important aspects of the dental care delivery system, such as personal and practice characteristics of dentists, that determine the capacity to provide care.
In this study, the data from the 2003 California Health Interview Survey and a 2003 survey of California dentists in their Medical Study Service Areas (MSSAs) were merged and examined to find the role of overall supply and other characteristics of dentists in income and racial/ethnic disparities in access, which was measured by annual dental visits and unmet need for dental care due to costs.
Some characteristics of MSSAs -- including higher proportions of dentists who were older, white, busy or overworked, and did not accept public insurance or discounted fees -- inhibited access for low-income and minority populations.
Publication Authors:
- Nadereh Pourat, PhD
- Ronald M. Andersen, Ph.D.
- Marvin Marcus