Unmet dental care need in West of Iran: determinants and inequality
International Journal of Human Rights in Healthcare
ISSN: 2056-4902
Article publication date: 31 July 2021
Issue publication date: 23 November 2021
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to assess the self-perceived need, seeking and use of dental care and its main determinants in Kurdistan province, Iran.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 1,056 adults in Kurdistan province were included in this cross-sectional study. Multistage sampling approach was used to select the samples. Data on sociodemographic characteristics, economic status, self-perceived need, seeking and use of dental care were collected using a self-administrated questionnaire. Multivariate logistic regression model was used to assess factors affecting the use of dental care. In addition, socioeconomic inequality relating to dental care needs and use of dental care were examined using concentration curve and concentration index.
Findings
In this study, unmet dental care need was 62.7%. There was a perceived need for dental care among 13.7% (n = 145) of the participants in the past month, with only 39.3% (n = 57) seeking the care. The most important reasons for unmet dental care need were “Could not afford the cost” and “Insurance did not cover the costs.” Multivariate logistic regression showed that supplementary insurance status and household economic status were identified as main determinants affecting dental care-seeking behavior. The result of concentration index revealed that seeking dental care was more concentrated among the rich, whereas the perceived dental care need is more prevalent among the poor.
Originality/value
This study demonstrated that the prevalence of unmet dental care needs is high in the study setting. Also, financial barrier was identified as the main determinant of unmet dental care needs.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors sincerely thank everyone who participated in this study.Funding: This study was funded by Research and Technology deputy of Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences (Contract No: 1397.186).Ethics approval and consent to participate: This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences (Ethics Code: IR.MUK.REC.1397.18). The purpose of this study was explained to the participants. Participation in this study was completely voluntary, and participants gave verbal consent.Conflicts of interest: The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
Citation
Mohamadi-Bolbanabad, A., Abdullah, F.Z., Safari, H., Rezaei, S., Afkhamzadeh, A., Amirhosseini, S., Shadi, A., Mahmoudpour, J. and Piroozi, B. (2021), "Unmet dental care need in West of Iran: determinants and inequality", International Journal of Human Rights in Healthcare, Vol. 14 No. 5, pp. 426-436. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJHRH-09-2020-0084
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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