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Novak B, Matajs M, Sangalli AE, Pruts H, Korpasova A, Leptos N, Stanko P, Tinak M, Kosticova M. Evaluation of Mobile and Community Dental Service Use among People Experiencing Homelessness. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:845. [PMID: 36613167 PMCID: PMC9819721 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20010845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2022] [Revised: 12/28/2022] [Accepted: 12/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The aim of the study was to evaluate the patterns of mobile and community dental service use among people experiencing homelessness in Bratislava, Slovakia. Data from medical records of homeless people who visited the mobile and community dental clinic from November 2012 to July 2018 have been retrospectively reviewed. The experience of providing dental services has been reported from the perspective of the dental care provider. Descriptive statistics were used for data analysis. In total, 319 patients (75.5% men) attended the clinic. Extraction of a tooth was the main dental treatment indicated in more than 80% (n = 276) of patients. A total of 363 teeth were extracted with an average number of 1.6 extracted teeth per patient. The main indications for extraction were dental caries and its sequelae (83.7%) and periodontal disease (15.2%). The patients with the need for prosthetic and conservative treatment were referred to the clinics at University Hospital; however, only 19 patients received the treatment. The barriers to accessing dental care were cost, logistic problems and individual psychological factors. We found that people experiencing homelessness in Slovakia have high needs and demands of emergency dental care and many systemic and individual barriers prevent them from accessing care. Community-based dental services are important for improving access to dental care and reducing oral health inequities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bohuslav Novak
- Unit of Conservative Dentistry, Department of Stomatology and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University in Bratislava, Heydukova 10, 812 50 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Marek Matajs
- Unit of Conservative Dentistry, Department of Stomatology and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University in Bratislava, Heydukova 10, 812 50 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Alessandro Emanuele Sangalli
- Unit of Conservative Dentistry, Department of Stomatology and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University in Bratislava, Heydukova 10, 812 50 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Halyna Pruts
- Unit of Prosthetic Dentistry, Department of Stomatology and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University in Bratislava, Heydukova 10, 812 50 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Anna Korpasova
- Unit of Prosthetic Dentistry, Department of Stomatology and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University in Bratislava, Heydukova 10, 812 50 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Nikos Leptos
- Unit of Prosthetic Dentistry, Department of Stomatology and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University in Bratislava, Heydukova 10, 812 50 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Peter Stanko
- Unit of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Department of Stomatology and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University in Bratislava, Heydukova 10, 812 50 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Michal Tinak
- Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University in Bratislava, Spitalska 24, 813 72 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Michaela Kosticova
- Institute of Social Medicine and Medical Ethics, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University in Bratislava, Sasinkova 2, 813 72 Bratislava, Slovakia
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Differences in Utilization of Medical and Dental Services among Homeless People in South Korea. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2020; 17:ijerph17155304. [PMID: 32717950 PMCID: PMC7432539 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17155304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2020] [Revised: 07/16/2020] [Accepted: 07/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
(1) Background: Homelessness contributes to both needs for care and barriers to access. This study aimed to explore the utilization of medical or dental services using Andersen's model for a vulnerable population of homeless in South Korea. (2) Methods: The data were applied from the first national survey for homeless people in South Korea, 2016. Totally 2032 persons participated in the interview survey. This study team requested the raw data through the public portal and analyzed them. (3) Results: The participants who were homeless for more than ten years, staying in small rooming house or shelter, non-employed, earning less than 500,000 won per month, and having a medical condition showed a significantly higher chance of using Medicaid. The use of outreach programs had a significant relationship with gender, duration of homelessness, and monthly income. Among dental patients, the homeless who did not consume alcohol, stayed in a shelter, and were employed had higher chances of using dental service. (4) Conclusions: Medicaid service was strongly related to enabling factors but outreach programs with predisposing factors. Dental service showed strong relationships with the enabling domain, but the pattern was opposite: the jobless had less chance to avail it. The policymakers need to consider these domains of service utilization to provide equitable access to healthcare services.
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