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Community Dentistry and Oral... Apr 1998After enjoying rapid economic growth in the 1980s, Finland suffered a deep economic recession that began in 1990. It has been claimed that recession and uneven subsidies...
UNLABELLED
After enjoying rapid economic growth in the 1980s, Finland suffered a deep economic recession that began in 1990. It has been claimed that recession and uneven subsidies influence the use of dental services negatively. Finnish adults born after 1956 and world war veterans are entitled to subsidized dental care either in the Public Dental Service (PDS) or in the private sector. Other adults pay their treatment costs.
OBJECTIVES
The purpose of this paper is to determine whether the economic recession in Finland during the early 1990s affected the use of dental services.
METHODS
The data were collected by the National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and Health using a method called CATI (Computer Assisted Telephone Interview). The target population was non-institutionalized persons aged 25-79 years.
RESULTS
About one-third of those interviewed had visited a dentist during the previous 6 months and this proportion was stable during the years studied. Number of teeth, length of education, income and sex had the highest predictive values for use of dental services as analyzed by multiple logistic regression. Two-thirds had visited a private practitioner, one-third a PDS clinic and a small percentage some other dentist or denturist.
CONCLUSIONS
The results showed that the dental service utilization by Finns was stable during this period of economic downturn and only minor changes occurred in the mean number of visits. The most prominent change was seen in the youngest age group, among whom dental utilization decreased by almost 10%. The study indicated that subsidies do not strongly affect dental utilization today.
Topics: Adult; Age Factors; Aged; Chi-Square Distribution; DMF Index; Dental Health Services; Economics; Educational Status; Female; Finland; Humans; Income; Interviews as Topic; Logistic Models; Male; Middle Aged; Sex Factors; Socioeconomic Factors
PubMed: 9645404
DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0528.1998.tb01936.x -
Probe (Ottawa, Ont.) 1998
Topics: Canada; Dental Hygienists; Denturists; Developing Countries; Education, Dental; Humans; International Educational Exchange; Mozambique; National Health Programs; Politics
PubMed: 9611463
DOI: No ID Found -
Journal (Canadian Dental Association) Mar 1998Within Quebec and elsewhere in Canada, patients requiring removable prostheses consult either dentists or denturologists. In this article, we describe the socioeconomic... (Clinical Trial)
Clinical Trial Comparative Study
BACKGROUND
Within Quebec and elsewhere in Canada, patients requiring removable prostheses consult either dentists or denturologists. In this article, we describe the socioeconomic characteristics of 410 edentulous individuals seeking replacement of their dentures, and compare the levels of satisfaction experienced by the patient groups provided with conventional dentures by dentists and by denturologists.
METHODS
All subjects responded to announcements seeking participants in a clinical trial. The announcements indicated that all participants would receive new prostheses. Data were collected via telephone interviews. Sociodemographic variables included sex, age, education level and family income. Subjects were asked to evaluate their present maxillary and mandibular prostheses for general satisfaction, stability, comfort, ability to chew, ability to clean and appearance. Age, cost and the provider (dentist or denturologist) of the original prostheses were also recorded, and responses were then compared between the groups of subjects treated by dentists (N = 91) and denturologists (N = 319).
RESULTS
There were no significant differences in the sociodemographic characteristics of the two groups, except for a small difference in mean age (two years). Both groups had paid approximately the same amount for their complete prostheses. As expected, most individuals were satisfied with their maxillary prostheses, but dissatisfied with their mandibular prostheses. Significantly more subjects in the denturologist treatment group than the dentist treatment group gave their mandibular prostheses a poor rating for general satisfaction (p = 0.003), comfort (p = 0.04) and stability (p = 0.016).
CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that the edentulous patients treated by dentists and denturologists share similar sociodemographic characteristics, and pay a similar cost for treatment. However, those treated by denturologists seem to be more dissatisfied with their mandibular prostheses than those treated by dentists.
Topics: Adult; Aged; Chi-Square Distribution; Dentists; Denture, Complete; Denturists; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Patient Satisfaction; Quebec; Statistics, Nonparametric; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 9558815
DOI: No ID Found -
Journal (Canadian Dental Association) Nov 1997The 1996 Denturist Association of Ontario fee guide and the Ontario Dental Association Fee Guide for General Practitioners were examined to identify variations in the... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
The 1996 Denturist Association of Ontario fee guide and the Ontario Dental Association Fee Guide for General Practitioners were examined to identify variations in the fees charged for a range of removable prosthodontic services. Fee guides were selected for this analysis as third-party insurers and government dental plans frequently use them to establish fee schedules and levels of reimbursement. However, it is recognized that dentists set their own fees, which may be higher or lower than the fees suggested in the guide. Although the descriptions of the specific services listed in the guides were similar in many cases, no attempt was made to examine variations in the quality of care provided by dentists and denturists, or the approach to treatment offered by their respective professions. The analysis revealed that a number of procedure fees were, on average, 15 per cent higher in the Ontario Dental Association (ODA) fee guide compared to the denturists' fee guide. However, a wide range of prosthetic services, including partial dentures, were less expensive in the ODA fee guide. Based on this analysis, there appears to be no substantial cost differential between the services provided by dentists and denturists six years after the proclamation of the new Regulated Health Professions Act in Ontario, as the denturists have claimed. The denturist association's further claims of greater choice and improved access may also be questionable, and should be reexamined in light of these findings.
Topics: Denture Repair; Denture, Complete; Denture, Partial; Denturists; Fees, Dental; Humans; Ontario; Societies, Dental
PubMed: 9401299
DOI: No ID Found -
Journal (Canadian Dental Association) Dec 1996The characteristics and service utilization of 2,071 high and 2,337 moderate users of Alberta's dental plan from 1978-79 to 1990-91 are reported. High users are those... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
The characteristics and service utilization of 2,071 high and 2,337 moderate users of Alberta's dental plan from 1978-79 to 1990-91 are reported. High users are those who used the plan for 14 consecutive years; moderate users are those who used the plan in seven of the 14 years. Both groups were over 74 years of age in 1991-92. Compared to high users, moderate users lived in less urbanized regions, visited denturists more often and received far more complete dentures and fewer partial dentures. As a percentage of their total annual plan expenditures, moderate users spent less on diagnostic, preventive, periodontal and restorative services and much more on removable prosthodontic and denturists' services. However, during the study period, the moderate users increased their annual relative expenditures for diagnostic, preventive and, especially, periodontal services, and decreased them for prosthodontic services. With respect to specific preventive and periodontal services, the percentage of total annual expenditures for dental prophylaxis, topical fluoride applications, periodontal scaling, gingival curettage, and combinations of these, was much higher for the high user group. Despite these differences favoring the high user group, during the 14 year period, the moderate user group considerably increased its relative expenditures for dental prophylaxis, topical fluoride and periodontal scaling services. While the observed differences in service expenditures between high and moderate users were anticipated, the shift over time to using more preventive and periodontal services by both groups was an encouraging harbinger of the "new elderly" dental patients.
Topics: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Alberta; Cross-Sectional Studies; Dental Care for Aged; Dental Prophylaxis; Dentures; Denturists; Female; Fluorides, Topical; Health Expenditures; Humans; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Rural Health; Urban Health
PubMed: 8990678
DOI: No ID Found -
Journal (Canadian Dental Association) Aug 1996Studies published in the dental literature have found, all too frequently, that dentists do not pay adequate attention to the design of cast removable partial denture...
Studies published in the dental literature have found, all too frequently, that dentists do not pay adequate attention to the design of cast removable partial denture frameworks. This study investigated removable partial denture design in Alberta dental practices. The authors considered various issues related to surveying, partial denture design, and provider education, as well as the possible collaboration of clinical dentistry with denturism in removable partial denture treatment. Although the study found that a significant proportion of Alberta's dentists get involved in designing the cast framework, relatively few undertake surveying. Instead, surveying tends to be deferred to dental technicians. As was the case in other studies, no clear reason for this trend emerged, and it appeared to be unrelated to remuneration or time utilization issues. Responding dentists perceived that their undergraduate education was adequate for providing removable partial denture care. The study also identified a need for small, hands-on continuing education courses. About half of the respondents indicated that it is appropriate for dentists to collaborate with denturists on complete denture care. However, very few respondents considered it appropriate to refer to, or collaborate with, denturists in removable partial denture care.
Topics: Alberta; Dental Technicians; Denture Design; Denture, Partial, Removable; Denturists; Humans; Prosthodontics; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 8771998
DOI: No ID Found -
Journal (Canadian Dental Association) Jun 1996
Topics: Canada; Denturists; Education, Dental; Humans; Prosthodontics
PubMed: 8752642
DOI: No ID Found -
Journal (Canadian Dental Association) May 1996
Topics: Canada; Dental Hygienists; Denturists; Humans; Professional Autonomy
PubMed: 8640573
DOI: No ID Found -
Journal (Canadian Dental Association) May 1996
Topics: British Columbia; Denturists; Humans; Interprofessional Relations; Prosthodontics
PubMed: 8640572
DOI: No ID Found -
Journal (Canadian Dental Association) May 1996
Topics: Canada; Denturists; Humans
PubMed: 8640571
DOI: No ID Found