Equity Issues in Dental Health Care Services in Thailand

Abstract

Thailand's dental health care system and provisions for public services are described. The Thai Ministry of Public Health has sought to pursue the goal of oral health for all by creating greater equity in opportunities for dental care. Severely disadvantaged Thais are able to seek free treatment, and a subsidized health card system offers medical and dental care to those able to purchase it. Despite these efforts, inequities related to socio-economic status and geography remain. The growth of the private sector has contributed to inequities by drawing dentists away from the public sector. Most dentists wish to work in the more lucrative private sector and to offer curative treatment. The organisational structure of the dental health system in Thailand and certain attitudes of the dental profession have also worked against equity, despite statements of support for equity in the country's Constitution and on the part of policy makers. More research is needed on equity in dental care in Thailand, and ways to reduce shortages of dentists in the public sector and in rural areas need to be explored. The most effective way of promoting equity in dental health care in Thailand is through reinforcing primary dental care with its emphasis upon education and prevention.