White P. Outline
dorritos_p
TopicProposal1.docx2
Dealing With Inequality in Oral and Dental Health in Developing Countries
Jeanette Jimenez
Institution Affiliation
English-220
Professor Turner
6/26/22
Dealing With Inequality in Oral and Dental Health in Developing Countries
The white paper responds to inequality in oral and dental health which the policymakers should consider in both middle- and low-income developing countries. Dental and oral health is becoming a global public health concern because of the severity and distribution of the infection related to dental and oral health. Due to the relationship between the social, environmental, and behavioral factors and the oral and dental health diseases, as well as intensive costs, it appears that the issue of inequality requires more consideration among middle- and low-income developing countries (Bastani et al.,2021). Inequality can either result from inappropriate utilization or access of services or unfair provision of services by the population. In most cases, expenditures worldwide are allocated to dental carriers and their treatment, yet such spending may vary from country to country. In some countries, it might require out-of-pocket payment funding at the moment of clients' needs which can intensify the access and inequality to dental services. Additionally, dental and oral health is highly dependent on financing. Age, skin color, sex, and gender are among the characteristics that influence the health status of a population and result in the emergence of inequality.
The suggested solutions to the problem in this white paper include the evidence that health social determinants, education, environmental conditions, income, and communities' life of work, among other factors, just like adequate professionals of oral health play a crucial role in reducing the disparities and reducing the inequality in health. Populations in and with the dentist's service casts can also determine or affect the affordability and, in turn, increase equity, especially with the low cost of dentists' services. Insurance coverage for dental and oral health is one of the determinants of the behaviors of the populations to seek health. In this case, the range will increase the access of the services to the people, including the low-income population in the developing countries. The equitable distribution of providers is another proposed solution in that it can result in more extensive geographic access and assist the dental and oral health equity among the population.
The background information that the reader may require in appreciation of the solutions for this problem in the white paper is that the answer should mention that the determinants of inequality may have different weights among the middle- and low-income contexts in the underdeveloping and developed countries. Other information may involve the nature of applicability and generalization of the outcomes.
Ghanbarzadegan, A., Balasubramanian, M., Luzzi, L., Brennan, D., & Bastani, P. (2021). Inequality in dental services: a scoping review on the role of access toward achieving universal health coverage in oral health. BMC Oral Health, 21(1), 1-11.
This article explains how access to health services can be improved more in the achievement of oral health universal health coverage. The paper aimed to determine the accessibility to dental services. The study used scoping review methods, and the initial search involved 4320 articles, from which a sample of 57 articles was obtained and included in the qualitative synthesis (Ghanbarzadegan et al.,2021). The seven main themes indicated in the results obtained from this study include dental services access determinants such as geographical distance, family condition, health demands, socio-environmental factors, cultural factors, services affordability, and services availability. The study revealed that affordability of services, social environment, family condition, availability of services, health demands, geographic factors, and cultural factors could affect the equality and access to dental health.
Bhandari, B., Newton, J. T., & Bernabé, E. (2015). Income inequality and use of dental services in 66 countries. Journal of dental research, 94(8), 1048-1054.
This article discusses the relationship between the use of dental services and income inequality and the role played by the investment in explaining that relationship and healthcare. This article used a sample of 223,299 adults from 66 countries on whom the surveys were administered. The use of dental services was defined as having been treated to solve teeth or mouth problems in the past year, and the Gini coefficient was used to measure income inequality. The results from this article show that the Gini coefficient of a 10% increase resulted in a lowering of 15% the odds of dental services utilization (Bhandari et al.,2015). The results of this article indicate that more equal countries indicate the exact utilization of dental health services. It also supports healthcare investment as the mediator for this investment. This article is relevant to the white paper topic because it provides evidence that investment associated with the high-income generation plays a crucial role in explaining the relationship between income inequality and the use of dental services. The article offers information on the relationship between income inequality and access to dental health services.
Garzón-Orjuela, N., Samacá-Samacá, D. F., Luque Angulo, S. C., Mendes Abdala, C. V., Reveiz, L., & Eslava-Schmalbach, J. (2020). An overview of reviews on strategies to reduce health inequalities. International journal for equity in health, 19(1), 1-11.
According to this article, countries are incentivized to implement and develop health action programs aiming at equity. This study aims to synthesize and identify interventions and strategies that aid health inequality reduction. The study used a systematic strategy search, and a snowball was also utilized. Out of the 4095 articles identified, only ninety-seven pieces were used in synthesizing the evidence. The sampled studies included minority, general, and vulnerable populations (Garzón-Orjuela et al.,2020). The results indicated that the strategies that lead to health inequality reduction are multidisciplinary and intersectoral. This article is relevant to the white paper topic because it identifies the strategies and interventions for reducing healthcare inequality. Further, this study is relevant to the white paper topic in that it considers the minority, vulnerable, and general population in the study.
Reflection on The Current Stage of Work
I feel like the project has identified sufficient evidence to address the inequality in oral and dental health. I am excited about the identified determinants of the disparity, including the social factors, gender, sex, age, family conditions, availability of health services, cultural factors, and environmental factors, and I feel like that is enough if appropriately addressed to solve the issue of inequality in dental and oral health. The elements that I am confused about and require further discussion with the teacher include how sex and culture affect dental and oral health inequality. The question to ask is how will equality be implemented? Who will be the main stakeholders? What will the budget be for implementation?
References
Bastani, P., Mohammadpour, M., Mehraliain, G., Delavari, S., & Edirippulige, S. (2021). What makes inequality in the area of dental and oral health in developing countries? A scoping review. Cost-Effectiveness and Resource Allocation, 19(1), 1-12.
Bhandari, B., Newton, J. T., & Bernabé, E. (2015). Income inequality and use of dental services in 66 countries. Journal of dental research, 94(8), 1048-1054.
Garzón-Orjuela, N., Samacá-Samacá, D. F., Luque Angulo, S. C., Mendes Abdala, C. V., Reveiz, L., & Eslava-Schmalbach, J. (2020). An overview of reviews on strategies to reduce health inequalities. International journal for equity in health, 19(1), 1-11.
Ghanbarzadegan, A., Balasubramanian, M., Luzzi, L., Brennan, D., & Bastani, P. (2021). Inequality in dental services: a scoping review on the role of access toward achieving universal health coverage in oral health. BMC Oral Health, 21(1), 1-11.
