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A difference-in-differences analysis of the effect of free dental check-ups in Scotland

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  • Ikenwilo, Divine

Abstract

The Scottish Government introduced free NHS dental check-ups in April 2006 as a way of encouraging utilisation and improving the oral health of residents. We use data from the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS), a nationally representative data of 117761 individual respondents in the United Kingdom covering the period between 2001 and 2008 to evaluate the impact of this policy on utilisation of NHS dental check-ups in Scotland, using a difference-in-difference approach. Results show that there was a 3–4 percent increase in NHS dental check-up in Scotland, compared to the rest of the UK. Results suggest that a removal of financial barrier to dental check-ups does indeed lead to a modest increase in utilisation, and may have wider implications for the delivery of dental care in Scotland.

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  • Ikenwilo, Divine, 2013. "A difference-in-differences analysis of the effect of free dental check-ups in Scotland," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 10-18.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:83:y:2013:i:c:p:10-18
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2013.01.027
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    1. Dickey, H. & Ikenwilo, D. & Norwood, P. & Watson, V. & Zangelidis, A., 2016. "“Doctor my eyes”: A natural experiment on the demand for eye care services," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 117-127.
    2. Grytten, Jostein & Skau, Irene, 2020. "Educational inequalities in access to fixed prosthodontic treatment in Norway. Causal effects using the introduction of a school reform as an instrumental variable," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 260(C).
    3. Bruce Hollingsworth & Asako Ohinata & Matteo Picchio & Ian Walker, 2022. "The Impacts of Free Universal Elderly Care on the Supply of Informal Care and Labour Supply," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 84(4), pages 933-960, August.

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