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Dental insurance, service use and health outcomes in Australia: a systematic review

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dc.contributor.authorGnanamanickam, E.
dc.contributor.authorTeusner, D.
dc.contributor.authorArrow, P.
dc.contributor.authorBrennan, D.
dc.date.issued2017
dc.description.abstractPrivate health insurance plays a key role in financing dental care in Australia. Having private dental insurance has been associated with higher levels of access to dental care, visiting for a check-up and receiving a favourable pattern of services. Associations with better oral health have also been reported. In the absence of any existing review, this paper aims to systematically review the relationship between dental insurance and dental service use and/or oral health outcomes in Australia. A systematic search of online databases and subsequent sifting resulted in 36 publications, 33 of which were cross sectional and three cohort analyses. Dental service outcomes were more commonly reported than oral health outcomes. There was considerable heterogeneity in the outcome measures reported, for both service use and health outcomes. Overall, the majority of the evidence was from cross sectional studies and few studies reported analyses adjusted for confounding factors. The consolidated evidence points towards a positive association between dental insurance and dental visiting. Dentally insured adults are likely to have more regular access to dental care and have a more favourable pattern of service use than the uninsured. However, evidence of associations between dental insurance and oral health are mixed.
dc.description.statementofresponsibilityE. S. Gnanamanickam, D. N. Teusner, PG Arrow, D. S. Brennan
dc.identifier.citationAustralian Dental Journal, 2017; 63(1):4-13
dc.identifier.doi10.1111/adj.12534
dc.identifier.issn0045-0421
dc.identifier.issn1834-7819
dc.identifier.orcidGnanamanickam, E. [0000-0002-8284-4746]
dc.identifier.orcidTeusner, D. [0000-0002-2350-6026]
dc.identifier.orcidArrow, P. [0000-0003-1647-2128]
dc.identifier.orcidBrennan, D. [0000-0002-7888-0920]
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/2440/132792
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherWiley Online Library
dc.relation.grantNHMRC
dc.rights© 2017 Australian Dental Association
dc.source.urihttps://doi.org/10.1111/adj.12534
dc.subjectAustralia
dc.subjectdental insurance
dc.subjectdental service use
dc.subjectoral health outcomes
dc.subjectreview
dc.subject.meshHumans
dc.subject.meshCross-Sectional Studies
dc.subject.meshDental Care
dc.subject.meshMedically Uninsured
dc.subject.meshOral Health
dc.subject.meshInsurance, Dental
dc.subject.meshHealth Services Research
dc.subject.meshHealth Services Accessibility
dc.subject.meshAustralia
dc.subject.meshOutcome Assessment, Health Care
dc.titleDental insurance, service use and health outcomes in Australia: a systematic review
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.publication-statusPublished

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