Dorota Elżbieta Piotrowska1, A,C–D, Bartosz Pędziński2, A,C,E, Dorota Jankowska1,B, Robert Milewski

Abstract

Introduction and Objective The aim of this study is presen-tation of the effect of socio-economic factors, such as income and its source, education, and place of residence, on the use of dental services, based on the results of the authors’ own study and a review of Polish and international literature. Description of the state of knowledge Analysis of the data obtained from the Statistics Poland (GUS) covering 13,376 individuals in 2010 and 12,532 individuals in 2013 showed that income, education, and place of residence were significant factors exerting an effect on the use of dental services. With respect to non-use of services, the influence of education seemed to play a less important role while considering the two years of analysis and the adopted statistical methods (The analysis has shown it is a less clear-cut). International research confirms the relationship between income, education, and place of residence, and the use of dental services. The data and analyses of the source of income and use or non-use are scarce, both in Poland and worldwide. Conclusion The relationship observed between the use or non-use of dental services according to the analyzed socio--economic factors should be taken into account when ma-king decisions on reimbursing dental services from public funds, planning interventions regarding reduction of health inequalities, and creating an environment enabling health--conscious choices.

Keywords

• socio-economic factors
• oral health
• health inequalities