Oral Health Utilization and Quality of Life

The relationship between the use of dental services and the subjective well-being of individuals has emerged as a critical focus in public health. Oral health utilisation refers to how and when people seek and receive professional dental care, influenced by socioeconomic status, geographic location, education, cultural beliefs and policy frameworks. Quality of life in an oral health context captures the impact of oral conditions on everyday activities, including eating, speaking, social interaction and psychological well-being. Evidence consistently demonstrates that timely access to preventive and curative dental services reduces the burden of disease and enhances self-perception and social functioning. Conversely, gaps in service utilisation exacerbate pain, functional limitations and psychosocial distress, disproportionately affecting marginalised populations. Recent emphasis has been placed on integrating oral health into broader health policies and primary care services to close equity gaps, while patient-centred outcome measures—such as oral health-related quality of life—guide interventions towards both clinical and experiential goals. Technological innovations, workforce models and community-based programmes have shown promise in improving uptake of services and mitigating barriers to care. However, persistent inequalities signal the need for targeted strategies that address financial, organisational and cultural determinants of utilisation, thereby promoting optimal oral health and well-being across diverse populations.

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Oral Health Utilization and Quality of Life publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in oral health utilization and quality of life across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Oral Health-Related Quality of Life (OHRQoL): A multidimensional concept that describes the impact of oral health on daily functions and well-being, encompassing physical, psychological and social domains.

Utilisation: The act of seeking, accessing and receiving professional dental care services, influenced by individual and contextual factors such as need, availability and affordability.

Andersen’s behavioural model: A framework that categorises determinants of health service use into predisposing, enabling and need components to analyse patterns of utilisation.

Socioeconomic gradient: The stepwise relationship between social or economic status and health outcomes, where each increase in advantage is associated with improved health or service use.

References

1. Does the implementation of a national oral health policy reduce inequalities in oral health services utilization? The Brazilian experience. BMC Public Health (2021).
2. Utilisation of dental services by Brazilian adults in rural and urban areas: a multi-group structural equation analysis using the Andersen behavioural model. BMC Public Health (2020).
3. Factors affecting dental service utilisation among older Singaporeans eligible for subsidized dental care – a qualitative study. BMC Public Health (2019).