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Inequalities in access to NHS primary care dental services in Scotland during the COVID-19 pandemic (preprint)
researchsquare; 2022.
Preprint
in English
| PREPRINT-RESEARCHSQUARE | ID: ppzbmed-10.21203.rs.3.rs-2227146.v1
ABSTRACT
Introduction:
This study aims to quantify the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on access and inequalities in primary care dental services among children and adults in Scotland.Methods:
Access was measured as any NHS Scotland primary care dental contacts derived from administrative data from January 2019 to May 2022, linked to the area-based Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) for children and adults, and related to population denominator estimates from National Record Scotland. Inequalities for pre-pandemic (January 2019 – January 2020) and recent (December 2021 – February 2022 and March 2022 – May 2022) periods for both children and adults were calculated and compared using the slope index of inequality (SII) and relative index of inequality (RII).Results:
Following the first lockdown (March 2020) there was a dramatic fall to near zero dental contacts, followed by a slow recovery to 64.8% of pre-pandemic levels by May 2022. There was initial widening of relative inequalities in dental contacts in early 2022, which, more recently, had begun to return to pre-pandemic levels.Conclusion:
COVID-19 has had a major impact on access to NHS primary dental care, and while inequalities in access are apparent as services recover from lockdown, these inequalities are not a new phenomenon.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
Preprints
Database:
PREPRINT-RESEARCHSQUARE
Main subject:
Sleep Deprivation
/
COVID-19
Language:
English
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Preprint
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