Inequalities in Oral Health in England
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Inequalities in oral health in England 1 Inequalities in oral health in England Contents Foreword ...................................................................................................................................... 4 1. Purpose and scope of the document ....................................................................................... 6 2. The importance of addressing oral health inequalities ............................................................. 8 2.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 8 2.2 Importance of good oral health ........................................................................................... 8 2.3 The financial cost of oral diseases ...................................................................................... 8 2.4 Oral health inequalities ....................................................................................................... 9 2.5 Causes of oral health inequalities ..................................................................................... 11 2.6 Summary .......................................................................................................................... 14 2.7 References ....................................................................................................................... 15 3. Oral health inequalities in England: what do epidemiological surveys and NHS data tell us? 16 3.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 16 3.2 Oral health inequalities by socioeconomic position .......................................................... 17 3.3 Oral health inequalities by geographical areas ................................................................. 25 3.4 Oral health inequalities by protected characteristics ......................................................... 39 3.5 Trends in oral health inequalities in children ..................................................................... 52 3.6 Limitations of epidemiological and NHS data ................................................................... 57 3.7 Summary .......................................................................................................................... 57 4. Oral health inequalities: what does the academic literature tell us? ....................................... 58 4.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 58 4.3 Oral health inequalities by protected characteristics ......................................................... 77 4.4. Oral health inequalities affecting vulnerable groups ........................................................ 91 4.5 Barriers to dental service utilisation ................................................................................ 103 4.6 Summary ........................................................................................................................ 109 4.7 References ..................................................................................................................... 112 5. Reducing oral health inequalities: what does the academic literature tell us? ...................... 128 5.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 128 5.2 Community-level interventions to reduce oral health inequalities ................................... 131 5.3 Service utilisation interventions to reduce oral health inequalities .................................. 140 5.4 Summary ........................................................................................................................ 144 2 Inequalities in oral health in England 5.5 References ..................................................................................................................... 144 6. Next steps ............................................................................................................................ 151 7. Glossary ............................................................................................................................... 152 8. Development of the report and acknowledgements ............................................................. 154 9. Appendices .......................................................................................................................... 156 Appendix 1. Legal duties and responsibilities of public bodies across the health sector to address inequalities .............................................................................................................. 156 Appendix 2. Definitions of types of oral health inequalities ................................................... 158 Appendix 3. Sources of epidemiological and NHS data ....................................................... 163 Appendix 4. Search strategy of the review on oral health inequalities .................................. 166 Appendix 5. Search strategy of the review on service utilisation barriers amongst people with protected characteristics ....................................................................................................... 172 Appendix 6. Search strategy of the review on service utilisation barriers amongst people with protected characteristics ....................................................................................................... 173 Appendix 7. Search strategy of the review on community-level interventions to reduce oral health inequalities ................................................................................................................. 174 Appendix 8. Search strategy of the review on dental service utilisation interventions to reduce oral health inequalities .......................................................................................................... 179 3 Inequalities in oral health in England Foreword Public Health England's mission is to protect and improve the nation's health and to address inequalities. A value shared by colleagues in public health is that they want to ‘make a difference’ and in particular, they want to ensure that everyone in the population has an equal and fair opportunity to be healthy. Where people live, their education, their employment, a suitable roof over their head, their friends, family and the networks they belong to all are important for health and wellbeing. Tackling the causes of inequalities is not easy. “Action on the social determinants of health requires action across multiple arenas and domains and that requires commitment and know-how from a range of workforces outside health.”1 Having a healthy mouth is not going to change everyone’s life chances, but oral health is very important as it affects what we can eat, how we communicate and socialise, and our self-confidence. Poor oral health can result in missing school or work and even in dropping out of employment. Achieving good oral health as part of good overall health and wellbeing is therefore a vital aspect of helping people live well. A good smile is a good start in life! The steps to improving oral health involve reducing the amount of sugar we consume, brushing our teeth and having access to the protective effects of fluoride. We also need equity of access to both preventive and treatment services for all. This will mean targeted support and bespoke solutions for some in society. There is an ethical and a legal duty for the public sector under the Equality Act 2010. Targeted support for tooth brushing in early years settings and water fluoridation have most benefit in those with the worst oral health. There are good examples in England of informed commissioning of services that understand the unique challenges of providing care for disadvantaged groups such as those experiencing homelessness. This report draws on the extensive literature on socio-economic inequalities in oral health and describes inequality seen by geography, and experienced by disadvantaged groups and those with protected characteristics. 1 Marmot et al, Health Equity in England: The Marmot Review 10 Years On (2020) 4 Inequalities in oral health in England Going back to our shared values, describing inequalities is not enough we want to make a difference. Findings from this report are already informing action to reduce inequalities in oral health involving the co-ordination and collaboration of multiple organisations. Public Health England intends to publish a companion piece to this report, setting out in more detail what action is needed to address research and epidemiological gaps. Our ambition is that children from all backgrounds should expect to grow up free from tooth decay as part of having the best start in life, and that all adults should have a healthy mouth as part of living well. “As long as poverty, injustice and gross inequality persist in our world, none of us can truly rest” Nelson Mandela Professor John Newton Dr Sandra White Director of Health Improvment National Lead for Dental Public Health 5 Inequalities in oral health in England 1. Purpose and scope of the document Although there is a considerable amount of literature describing inequalities in oral health, there is value in summarising this large body of evidence in one document to inform equality impact assessments and the commissioning of health improvement