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2nd Edition of Health Services Research on Dentistry in Aged Society

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Oral Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2023) | Viewed by 6715

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Guest Editor
Department of Oral Growth & Development, Health Sciences University of Hokkaido, Hokkaido 061-0293, Japan
Interests: community oral health; gerontology; preventive dentistry; health service research regarding dentistry; medical sociology
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As the global population continues to age, access to oral health care services for all generations is critical. Fortunately, the prevalence of dental caries in children has decreased in many countries with the expansion of fluoride applications. However, the availability of oral health services for the elderly is still inadequate.

As the quality of dental services varies from country to country,  knowledge surrounding oral health care delivery remains poor. In particular, there is little information regarding the extent to which public services cover oral health for the elderly. Another major challenge for health services research in dentistry is the analysis of the dental professional workforce, which is essential for providing adequate dental health services to all generations.

Health services research requires multidisciplinary approaches that examine the relationship among social factors, financial systems, medical technology, accessibility to health care, and the quality and cost of health care. Oral health plays a major role in the quality of life; thus, the sufficient provision of appropriate oral health services represents a significant contribution to the maintenance and improvement of overall health status. We welcome all submissions focusing on the keywords listed below.

Prof. Dr. Hiroko Miura
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • oral health care service delivery
  • workforce analysis of dental profession
  • health care quality assessment
  • geriatric oral health
  • health insurance system
  • cost of oral health services
  • universal health coverage
  • real-world data on dentistry
  • oral health policy
  • access to oral health services

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 863 KiB  
Article
People’s Willingness to Pay for Dental Checkups and the Associated Individual Characteristics: A Nationwide Web-Based Survey among Japanese Adults
by Katsuo Oshima
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(5), 4145; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20054145 - 25 Feb 2023
Viewed by 1106
Abstract
This study aimed to determine the willingness-to-pay (WTP) values for dental checkups and analyze the association between the values and individual characteristics. This cross-sectional study was conducted using a nationwide web-based survey, and 3336 participants were allocated into groups that received regular dental [...] Read more.
This study aimed to determine the willingness-to-pay (WTP) values for dental checkups and analyze the association between the values and individual characteristics. This cross-sectional study was conducted using a nationwide web-based survey, and 3336 participants were allocated into groups that received regular dental checkups (RDC; n = 1785) and those who did not (non-RDC; n = 1551). There was a statistically significant difference in the WTP value for dental checkups between the RDC (median: 3000 yen [22.51 USD]) and non-RDC groups (2000 yen [15.01 USD]). In the RDC group, age 50–59 years, household income <2 million yen, homemaker and part-time worker employment status, and having children were significantly associated with decreased WTP values; male sex, household incomes ≥8 million yen, and tooth brushing ≥3 times daily were associated with increased WTP values. In the non-RDC group, age ≥30 years, household incomes <4 million yen, and having ≥28 teeth were significantly associated with decreased WTP values; household income ≥8 million yen was associated with increased WTP values. Conclusively, WTP values for dental checkups were lower in the non-RDC group than in the RDC group; in the non-RDC group, those with lower household income aged ≥30 years were more likely to propose lower WTP values, suggesting the need for policy intervention to improve access to RDC. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 2nd Edition of Health Services Research on Dentistry in Aged Society)
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10 pages, 692 KiB  
Article
Decision-Making concerning Involuntary Oral Care for Older Individuals with Dementia
by Maud Jonker, Coos Engelsma, David J. Manton and Anita Visser
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(24), 16655; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192416655 - 11 Dec 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1662
Abstract
Many older individuals with dementia (OIWD) show care-resistant behavior for oral care. Providing care despite resistance is considered to be involuntary care. Although involuntary care should be minimized, in some OIWD it may be necessary to avoid health risks. This study aims to [...] Read more.
Many older individuals with dementia (OIWD) show care-resistant behavior for oral care. Providing care despite resistance is considered to be involuntary care. Although involuntary care should be minimized, in some OIWD it may be necessary to avoid health risks. This study aims to assess the attitudes of healthcare providers with regard to involuntary oral care provision for OIWD who show care-resistant behavior. An online questionnaire consisting of general questions and case specific questions was administered via social media and networking to individuals involved in the oral care of OIWD. A total of 309 participants were included in this study. The outcomes of the questionnaires were categorized per case. In all cases, a discrepancy was seen between the assessment of oral health problems as potentially harmful (range: 73.1–93.5%) and the willingness to provide involuntary care (range: 31.1–63.4%). Hence, many healthcare providers are aware of the subsequent potential health risks related to not providing care, but are still reluctant to provide involuntary oral care. Therefore, many OIWD who show care-resistant behavior potentially do not receive the necessary oral care they require. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 2nd Edition of Health Services Research on Dentistry in Aged Society)
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9 pages, 453 KiB  
Article
Model to Predict Oral Frailty Based on a Questionnaire: A Cross-Sectional Study
by Tatsuo Yamamoto, Tomoki Tanaka, Hirohiko Hirano, Yuki Mochida and Katsuya Iijima
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(20), 13244; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192013244 - 14 Oct 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1799
Abstract
A statistical model to predict oral frailty based on information obtained from questionnaires might help to estimate its prevalence and clarify its determinants. In this study, we aimed to develop and validate a predictive model to assess oral frailty thorough a secondary data [...] Read more.
A statistical model to predict oral frailty based on information obtained from questionnaires might help to estimate its prevalence and clarify its determinants. In this study, we aimed to develop and validate a predictive model to assess oral frailty thorough a secondary data analysis of a previous cross-sectional study on oral frailty conducted on 843 patients aged ≥ 65 years. The data were split into training and testing sets (a 70/30 split) using random sampling. The training set was used to develop a multivariate stepwise logistic regression model. The model was evaluated on the testing set and its performance was assessed using a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. The final model in the training set consisted of age, number of teeth present, difficulty eating tough foods compared with six months ago, and recent history of choking on tea or soup. The model showed good accuracy in the testing set, with an area of 0.860 (95% confidence interval: 0.806–0.915) under the ROC curve. These results suggested that the prediction model was useful in estimating the prevalence of oral frailty and identifying the associated factors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 2nd Edition of Health Services Research on Dentistry in Aged Society)
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14 pages, 645 KiB  
Article
Characteristics of Individuals in Japan Who Regularly Manage Their Oral Health by Having a Family Dentist: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Web-Based Survey
by Katsuo Oshima, Hiroko Miura, Rumi Tano and Hideki Fukuda
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(17), 10479; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191710479 - 23 Aug 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1496
Abstract
Dental healthcare systems may differ between countries; however, having a family dentist is generally important for proper oral health management. This study aims to analyze the proportion of people in Japan who have a family dentist, and their characteristics. A nationwide web-based survey [...] Read more.
Dental healthcare systems may differ between countries; however, having a family dentist is generally important for proper oral health management. This study aims to analyze the proportion of people in Japan who have a family dentist, and their characteristics. A nationwide web-based survey with 3556 participants (1708 men and 1848 women) showed that 45.6% of men and 54.1% of women had a family dentist (FD group). A multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that men in the FD group mostly belonged to older age groups (≥70 s, OR: 2.41), received higher household incomes (≥8000 K JPY, OR: 1.47), brushed their teeth three or more times daily (OR: 1.60), practiced habitual interdental cleaning (OR: 3.66), and fewer lived in rural areas (towns and villages, OR: 0.52). Regarding the women, the majority belonged to older age groups (60 s, OR: 1.52; ≥70 s, OR: 1.73), practiced habitual interdental cleaning (OR: 3.68), and fewer received lower household incomes (<2000 K JPY, OR: 0.61). These results suggest that despite Japan being a country with a public insurance coverage system for both men and women, having a family dentist is associated with disparities in individual socioeconomic factors, particularly age and household income. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 2nd Edition of Health Services Research on Dentistry in Aged Society)
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