Social inequalities in dental services utilisation in Norway: The Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT 3)

Abstract

Aim: To assess the levels of social inequity in dental care utilisation in Norway and enable comparison to recent international comparative studies.

Methods: We studied dental care utilisation among 17,136 men and 21,414 women Norwegians in the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (2006-2008). Respondents aged 20 years and above were included in the study, and analyses were also performed within subgroups of age and sex (20-39, 40-59 and > 60 years). Horizontal inequity was estimated by means of concentration indices (CI). We report risk ratios that are based on the same regression analyses in order to facilitate comparison with more studies.

Results: While we found consistent income-related inequity among men and women of all ages, inequity levels were high only among men and women > 60 years. Pro-educated inequity was found exclusively among men and women > 60 years. General attendance rates were high (77 %). A large part of overall inequity stemmed from lower attendance in the two poorest quintiles of the various age-sex subgroups.

Conclusion: The results suggest that social inequalities in dental care utilisation in general are small, but that among men and women over 60 years the level of inequity is fairly high compared to recent studies of dental care in Europe.