6 research outputs found
Ongewenste zorgmijding:Het belang van definities van zorg
No full textEr zijn steeds meer signalen over het toenemend aantal mensen dat zich om financiële redenen geen mondzorg kan veroorloven. Mijden van mondzorg is nadelig voor het beloop van mondziekten en heeft een slechte prognose van de mondgezondheid tot gevolg. Het wordt daarom als een ongewenst fenomeen beschouwd. Om meer zicht te krijgen op het probleem van zorg mijden is het van belang om te weten wanneer uitstel van mondzorg als ‘ongewenste mijding van mondzorg’ beschouwd kan worden. In dit onderzoek worden vier categorieën mondzorg beschreven: wenselijke zorg, noodzakelijke zorg, urgente zorg en noodzorg. Op basis van deze vier categorieën wordt een voorstel gedaan voor een definitie van ‘ongewenste zorgmijding om financiële redenen’
Unwanted avoidance of oral healthcare:Financial barriers to the accessibility of oral care
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Understanding underutilization of oral health care in high-income countries: a scoping review
No full textAimUnderutilization of oral healthcare can exacerbate health disparities by allowing preventable oral health problems to go untreated. This scoping review provides an overview of underutilization of oral healthcare, aiming to provide insight into populations at risk for underutilization and which individual and systemic barriers contribute.Subject and MethodsSearches were conducted in PubMed and Embase, focusing on studies published between 2018–2025 in high-income countries and populations aged 0–65 years. Studies addressing underutilization of oral healthcare were considered for inclusion.ResultsSeventy-nine studies were included. Populations at risk for underutilization included individuals with chronic illnesses, rural residents, migrants, children, pregnant women and ethnic minorities. Individual barriers included financial constraints, low health literacy, dental anxiety, and competing health priorities, while systemic barriers to utilization of oral healthcare involved high treatment costs, lack of insurance, limited provider availability, and discrimination. Overarching determinants of underutilization commonly included low income, lack of education, and rural residence.ConclusionsUnderutilization of oral healthcare is rarely driven by a single individual or systemic factor but instead results from a combination of multiple barriers. Financial constraints, low health literacy, and dental anxiety often intersect with systemic challenges such as lack of insurance and provider shortages. Addressing underutilization requires targeted, multi-level interventions that consider both individual and structural determinants to improve access to oral healthcare
Co-Creation in Method and Practice: Community-Driven Approaches to Better Oral Healthcare in Vulnerable Populations
No full textCo-creation is increasingly recognised as a valuable method for promoting collaboration and innovation, especially in tackling complex public health issues. Despite its growing use across scientific fields, there are still no standardised guidelines for its implementation. This study presents insights from a co-creation process within the DELIVER project (DELiberative ImproVEment of oRal care quality), funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme. The aim is to investigate how co-creation can effectively involve diverse co-creators in addressing challenges in oral healthcare and developing sustainable solutions.Two community-based multistakeholder teams (MST) were established. One, territory-based, focused on asylum seekers, included 30 residents and 11 professionals. The other, territory-free, focused on individuals with low financial resources, involved eight residents and five professionals. Co-creation guided the entire project, from recruitment to implementation, using the Community Health Improvement Process. Qualitative methods were employed, such as semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, and workshops. The findings revealed both the potential and limitations of co-creation in different community settings. Key potential included active co-creator engagement and shared ownership. In the territory-based MST, a local gatekeeper played a crucial role in maintaining ongoing involvement. In contrast, the territory-free MST had more fragmented participation, highlighting the importance of adapting approaches to the different needs of each setting. Co-creation can engage varied co-creators in addressing complex oral healthcare issues, but its success depends on contextual factors such as co-creator engagement and community structures. <br/
Oral Healthcare Quality Improvements at the Community-Level in Denmark
No full textObjectives High-quality oral healthcare systems need constant adjustment in response to the oral healthcare needs of the population. As a prerequisite to designing quality improvements (QI), an overview of recent and existing QI initiatives and identification of unfulfilled oral healthcare needs are needed. The study investigates current QI efforts for oral healthcare at the community-level for groups in socially disadvantaged positions, in Denmark. Funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation program under grant agreement 101057077: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101057077.Methods Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with professional stakeholders involved in the Danish healthcare system for groups in socially disadvantaged positions working in and outside the oral health sector. The data were inductively analysed using Grounded Theory Situational Analysis, aiming to gain an overview of relevant existing and potential cross-sectional collaborations, ways of thinking and working, legislation, recent QI initiatives in the area and gaps calling for QI.Results Interviews were conducted with twelve stakeholders. Eligibility criteria for access to (free) Social Dental Care are found to be difficult to apply due to unclear conceptualisation, resulting in unspent budgets and inequality in access depending on the municipality of residence. Experiences of conflicts between limited dental care rights for asylum-seekers and collaboration with dentists due to dentists' unwillingness to concede with the legal framework, preventing the legally secured minimum level of dental care from always being provided. Dental care was perceived with a focus on access and treatment with the absence of prevention.Conclusions This situational analysis identifies current QI efforts, assesses their advantages and disadvantages, and suggests potential for new QI initiatives at the community-level for groups in socially disadvantaged positions, in Denmark. It may serve as a foundation for the development of future interventions aimed at collaborations between stakeholders to enhance the quality of oral care in the target group
