Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39780095›Full record

ArticleBMC public health2025

Association between type of health insurance and dental visits among Ecuadorian older population: evidence from a cross-sectional study.

Marite Falquez, Adriana Canessa-Rojas, Antonio Lanata-Flores, Freddy Espinoza-Carrasco, Ivan Cherrez-Ojeda, Karla Robles-Velasco, Marco Faytong-Haro, Claudia Reytor-González, Daniel Simancas-Racines

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Marite FalquezFacultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Espíritu Santo, Samborondon, Guayaquil, Ecuador.
Adriana Canessa-RojasFacultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Espíritu Santo, Samborondon, Guayaquil, Ecuador.
Antonio Lanata-FloresFacultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Espíritu Santo, Samborondon, Guayaquil, Ecuador.
Freddy Espinoza-CarrascoFacultad de Investigación, Universidad Estatal de Milagro, Milagro, Ecuador.
Ivan Cherrez-OjedaFacultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Espíritu Santo, Samborondon, Guayaquil, Ecuador.
Karla Robles-VelascoFacultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Espíritu Santo, Samborondon, Guayaquil, Ecuador.
Marco Faytong-HaroFacultad de Investigación, Universidad Estatal de Milagro, Milagro, Ecuador. marco@laboratoriolide.org.
Claudia Reytor-GonzálezFacultad de Ciencias de la Salud Eugenio Espejo, Universidad UTE, Centro de Investigación en Salud Pública y Epidemiología Clínica (CISPEC), Quito, Ecuador.
Daniel Simancas-RacinesFacultad de Ciencias de la Salud Eugenio Espejo, Universidad UTE, Centro de Investigación en Salud Pública y Epidemiología Clínica (CISPEC), Quito, Ecuador. dsimancas@ute.edu.ec.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDental services are often overlooked within healthcare systems, despite their critical role in overall health. Socioeconomic barriers and disparities in insurance coverage frequently limit access to oral care, particularly among vulnerable populations like older adults.

objectiveTo examine the impact of different health insurance types on the frequency of dental consultations among Ecuadorian senior citizens, aiming to highlight gaps in access to care.

methodsUsing the 2009 National Survey of Health, Well-being, and Aging (SABE), which aims to determine the health and living conditions of older individuals, this study analyzed the health insurance status and dental service visits of 4,565 older adults in Ecuador. Binary logistic regression was employed to explore the association between insurance type and dental-care utilization.

resultsIn the sample, 76.50% of older adults had not visited a dentist in the past year. Insurance breakdown revealed 17.04% with general IESS, 9.59% with rural IESS, 2.23% with private insurance, 1.86% with ISSFA/ISSPOL, 1.86% with municipal insurance, and 69.66% were uninsured. Individuals with private insurance or ISSFA/ISSPOL insurance were 32% and 91% more likely, respectively, to seek oral care compared to those without these respective insurances. Conversely, uninsured individuals were 43% less likely to seek dental care than those with any type of insurance.

conclusionHealth insurance significantly influences the frequency of dental consultations among Ecuadorian seniors, highlighting the need for policy interventions to ensure equitable access to oral care.

Indexed as

Health Services AccessibilityInsurance, HealthAgedAged, 80 and overCross-Sectional StudiesDental CareEcuadorFemaleHumansInsurance CoverageMaleMiddle AgedAccessibility barriersEcuadorHealth insuranceOlder populationOral health

Identifiers

PMID39780095
PMCPMC11715188

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.