Are we on a path towards equitable oral care in Sweden? The opportunities of policy instruments and upcoming reforms, and the threats of oral care system disruptions and inequity determinants

Research problem and specific questions The Swedish oral care system is facing great challenges when it comes to fulfilling its explicit goal stated in law - oral care provision on equal terms for all.

Groundwork for future oral care reforms therefore aims for improving equity in oral care, but is hampered by a lack of evidence on this severely understudied topic.

The overall purpose of this project is to generate critical knowledge that supports a path towards equity in oral care in Sweden.

The specific aims of this project are: To evaluate the impact of universal oral care subsidies on equity in oral care utilization.

To assess the role of oral care system disruptions and population determinants in generating and upholding inequities in oral care utilization. To explore the potential of forthcoming Swedish oral health policy to promote equity in oral care.

Data and method The project will focus on preventive oral care utilization, and approach inclusive equity through a comprehensive intersectionality-based framework.

We will use national register and survey data 2004-2026, quasi-experimental design, and state-of-the-art analytical methods to study the role of subsidies (Aim 1) and systemic disruptions and determinants (Aim 2) for inequities in oral care utilization.

The findings will feed into critical policy analysis, based on public documents and stakeholder interviews, and result in recommendations for forthcoming oral health policy (Aim 3).

Societal relevance and utilisation The growing problem of inequities in oral health and care in Sweden hampers the goals of legislation and public health policy, and a manifest concern for the public, professionals and policy-actors alike.

This project aims to inform the ongoing work on future oral care reforms with novel and crucial evidence and concrete recommendations for tailoring oral health policy that can promote inclusive equity in oral care.

Key stakeholder representatives are included in the project team to ensure a relevant direction and facilitate knowledge translation.

Plan for project realisation The project team is a multidisciplinary group of researchers from epidemiology, dentistry, and health systems research, international collaborators, clinical dentists as well as key stakeholders at national and regional levels.

The budget will mostly concern salaries as well as data cost, equipment and travels for the project group meetings and stakeholder collaboration.