Social inequality in oral health and use of dental care in Sweden

Abstract

This study demonstrates that socio-economic differences in oral health and use of dental care are most marked in older (45-64 years) adults in Sweden, but are significant in young adults and, in terms of oral health, in children as well. A steep increase in user charges during the 1990s has been paralleled by a moderate increase in problems with chewing and the proportion of the population that has no regular dental care, which suggests a link that needs to be evaluated in further studies.