Oral health status and coverage of oral health care: A five-country comparison

Oral health has received increased attention in health services research and policy. This study aims to assess oral health outcomes and public coverage of oral health services in Belgium, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, and Spain. Various indicators were used to compare oral health outcomes concerning the most common disorders by age group. Coverage of oral health services was analyzed according to the dimensions of the WHO Universal Coverage Cube. The results showed major differences in the coverage of services for the adult population: coverage was most comprehensive in Germany, followed by Belgium and Denmark. In Spain and the Netherlands, public coverage was limited. Except in Spain, coverage of oral health services for children was high, although with some differences between countries. Regarding oral health outcomes measured by the T-Health index, no country showed outstanding results across all age groups. While Denmark, the Netherlands, and Spain performed above average among 5- to 7-year-olds, Denmark and Germany performed above average among 12- to 14-year-olds, the Netherlands, Spain, and Belgium among 35- to 44-year-olds, and Belgium and the Netherlands among 65- to 74-year-olds. The selection of countries of this study was limited due to the availability and quality of oral health data demonstrating the urgent need for the European member states to establish corresponding databases.