Here’s the translation into American English:
In 2024, an alarming 6.3% of Europeans aged 16 and older reported that they could not access dental care due to economic barriers, long waitlists, or the distance to services. This statistic highlights significant inequalities in access to oral health care among EU member countries.
Greece ranks at the top of the list for unmet needs, with 27.1% of its population affected. Other countries with alarming percentages include Latvia and Romania, at 16.5% and 16.2%, respectively. In contrast, Malta stands out with only 0.4%, followed by Germany at 0.9% and Croatia at 1.1%, emphasizing the large disparities in the availability of dental care.
The data also reveals a strong correlation between poverty risk and unmet dental needs. 13.7% of those at risk of poverty reported being unable to access dental care, compared to 5.1% of those who do not face this issue. This pattern is observed throughout the EU, indicating that economic difficulties are a decisive factor in access to health care.
Particularly alarming is the situation in Romania, where 43.5% of individuals at risk of poverty face challenges in accessing dental care. Greece follows closely, with 52.8% affected in this category, highlighting a difference of 30.1 percentage points from those not in precarious situations. Significant disparities are also observed in other countries, such as Latvia and Portugal, regarding access to dental services for these vulnerable groups.
On the other hand, Germany, Malta, and Poland have managed to keep the gap between the unmet needs of at-risk individuals and those not at risk at relatively low levels, with differences of 1.3, 1.5, and 1.7 percentage points, respectively.
This landscape underscores the urgency of implementing more inclusive policies that ensure universal access to dental health services, especially for people in vulnerable situations. Dental health is not only fundamental to individual well-being but also reflects the social inequalities that persist in the European population.
via: MiMub in Spanish
