ArticleThe Lancet regional health. Western Pacific2021
Regional Inequality in Dental Care Utilization in Japan: An Ecological Study Using the National Database of Health Insurance Claims.
Article in The Lancet regional health. Western Pacific, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers.
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Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed.
- Regional Disparities in Domiciliary Dental-Care Utilization and Their Association with Pneumonia Mortality in Japan: An Ecological Study Using National Open Data.JMA journal · 2026Article
- Prefecture-level factors associated with home-visit dental care utilization in Japan: focus on dentist workforce characteristics.BMC oral health · 2026Article
- Regional Disparities in Home-Based Medical Care Utilization in Japan: Ecological Study of Nationwide Claim Data.Journal of general internal medicine · 2026Article
- Associations between the number of benzodiazepine receptor agonists prescriptions and social determinants of health, including social capital: an ecological study.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Association Between Specialist Distribution and Regional Variation in Plasmapheresis Use in Japan: A Population-Level Cross-Sectional Study.Journal of clinical apheresis · 2026Article
- Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Incidence in Japan Based on National Cancer Registry Data 2016-2019.JMA journal · 2026Article
- Evolving Trends in Dental Services in Aging Japan: An Age-Period-Cohort Analysis Using Nationwide Data from Fiscal Years 2016 to 2023.Dentistry journal · 2026Article
- Associations of household income and parental education with early childhood caries: the Japan Environment and Children's Study.Environmental health and preventive medicine · 2026Article
- Income-related inequalities in the association of obesity and periodontal disease: a register-based cross-sectional analysis in the Tokyo metropolitan districts.Clinical oral investigations · 2025Article
- The uneven playing field: provider participation and regional disparities in oral health examination rates in Korea.Epidemiology and health · 2025Article
- Associations Between Successful Home Discharge and Posthospitalization Care Planning: Cross-Sectional Ecological Study.JMIR formative research · 2024Article
- Preventive dental care reduces risk of cardiovascular disease and pneumonia in hemodialysis population: a nationwide claims database analysis.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Associations between school-based fluoride mouth-rinse program, medical-dental expense subsidy policy, and children's oral health in Japan: an ecological study.BMC public health · 2024Article
- Regional difference in multi-psychotropic drug prescription in Japan and its associated factors: an ecological study using national health insurance claims data.Research in health services & regions · 2023Article
- Association of Glycated Hemoglobin Level with Self-Reported Chewing Problems in Elderly Community-Dwelling Individuals in Japan.Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare · 2023Article
- Analysis of regional differences in the amount of hypnotic and anxiolytic prescriptions in Japan using nationwide claims data.BMC psychiatry · 2022Article
- Moral Hazard and the Demand for Dental Treatment: Evidence from a Nationally Representative Survey in Thailand.International journal of dentistry · 2022Article
- Analysis of the regional difference in the number of multi-drug prescriptions and its predictors in Japan, 2015-2018.BMC research notes · 2021Article
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Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThis study examined regional inequalities in dental care utilization in Japan and the association of dental care utilization with socioeconomic factors.
methodsUsing the Fourth National Database of Health Insurance Claims and Specific Health Checkups of Japan Open data, this ecological study analyzed 216 million pieces of aggregated data from April 2017 to March 2018. Nine indicators of dental care utilization were used: outpatient visits, outreach services, cavity fillings, pulpectomies, dental calculus removals, periodontal surgeries, tooth extractions, dental bridges, and dentures. Standardized claim ratios (SCRs) for these indicators were calculated for Japan's 47 prefectures, which were divided into three groups based on the number of dental clinics per population, average income per capita, and the proportion of university enrollments. Associations of the dental care utilization with dental supply and regional socioeconomic factors were examined.
findingsThe ratios of maximum to minimum of SCRs were 1·4 for outpatient visits, 19·3 for outreach services, and 17·6 for periodontal surgeries. Dental supply was positively associated with outpatient visits, outreach services, dental calculus removal, and periodontal surgeries. Regional average income and educational level were positively associated with dental calculus removals, and negatively associated with pulpectomies, tooth extractions, dental bridges, and dentures.
interpretationIn Japan, regional inequalities in dental care utilization exist for periodontal care and outreach services but are smaller for urgent and substantial dental care. Regional income and educational levels appear to have influence on dental care utilization.
fundingMinistry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan (H31-19FA1001).
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