Nishide Akemi, Fujita Misuzu, Sato Yasunori, Nagashima Kengo, Takahashi Sho, Hata Akira
Department of Public Health, Chiba University Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba 260-8670, Japan.
Department of Global Clinical Research, Chiba University Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba 260-0870, Japan.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2017 May 12;14(5):524. doi: 10.3390/ijerph14050524.
: This study aimed to evaluate whether income-related inequalities in access to dental care services exist in Japan. : The subjects included beneficiaries of the National Health Insurance (NHI) in Chiba City, Japan, who had been enrolled from 1 April 2014 to 31 March 2015. The presence or absence of dental visits and number of days spent on dental care services during the year were calculated using insurance claims submitted. Equivalent household income was calculated using individual income data from 1 January to 31 December 2013, declared for taxation. : Of the 216,211 enrolled subjects, 50.3% had dental care during the year. Among those with dental visits, the average number of days (standard deviation) spent on dental care services per year was 7.7 (7.1). Low income was associated with a decreased rate of dental care utilization regardless of age and sex. However, there was a significant inverse linear association between the number of days spent on dental care services and income levels for both sexes. : There were income-related inequalities in access to dental care services, regardless of the age group or sex, within the Japanese universal health insurance system.
本研究旨在评估日本在获得牙科护理服务方面是否存在与收入相关的不平等现象。研究对象包括2014年4月1日至2015年3月31日期间参保日本千叶市国民健康保险（NHI）的人群。根据提交的保险理赔数据计算年度内看牙情况及接受牙科护理服务的天数。使用2013年1月1日至12月31日申报用于纳税的个人收入数据计算家庭等效收入。在216,211名参保对象中，50.3%的人在该年度接受了牙科护理。在看牙的人群中，每年接受牙科护理服务的平均天数（标准差）为7.7天（7.1天）。无论年龄和性别，低收入都与较低的牙科护理利用率相关。然而，两性在牙科护理服务天数与收入水平之间均存在显著的负线性关联。在日本全民健康保险体系内，无论年龄组或性别，在获得牙科护理服务方面均存在与收入相关的不平等现象。
