Analysis of human resources for oral health globally: inequitable distribution

Background: Oral diseases affect most of the global population. The aim of this paper was to provide a contemporary analysis of ‘human resources for oral health’ (HROH) by examining the size and distribution of the dental workforce according to World Health Organization (WHO) region and in the most...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Gallagher, J.E (Author), Hutchinson, L. (Author)
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2018
Subjects:
Online Access:View Fulltext in Publisher
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020 |a 00206539 (ISSN) 
245 1 0 |a Analysis of human resources for oral health globally: inequitable distribution 
260 0 |b Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd  |c 2018 
856 |z View Fulltext in Publisher  |u https://doi.org/10.1111/idj.12349 
520 3 |a Background: Oral diseases affect most of the global population. The aim of this paper was to provide a contemporary analysis of ‘human resources for oral health’ (HROH) by examining the size and distribution of the dental workforce according to World Health Organization (WHO) region and in the most populous countries. Method: Publically available data on HROH and population size were sourced from the WHO, Central Intelligence Agency, United Nations, World Bank and the UK registration body. Population-to-dentist and dental-workforce ratios were calculated according to WHO region and for the 25 most populous countries globally. Workforce trends over time were examined for one high-income country, the UK. Results: The majority of the world's 1.6 million dentists are based in Europe and the Americas, such that 69% of the world's dentists serve 27% of the global population. Africa has only 1% of the global workforce and thus there are marked inequalities in access to dental personnel, as demonstrated by population to dental-workforce ratios. Gaps exist in dental-workforce data, most notably relating to mid-level clinical providers, such as dental hygienists and therapists, and HROH data are not regularly updated. Workforce expansion and migration may result in rapid changes in dentist numbers. Conclusion: Marked inequalities in the distribution of global HROH exist between regions and countries, with inequalities most apparent in areas of high population growth. Detailed contemporary data on all groups of HROH are required to inform global workforce reform in support of addressing population oral health needs. © 2018 FDI World Dental Federation 
650 0 4 |a access 
650 0 4 |a Dental 
650 0 4 |a dental staff 
650 0 4 |a Dental Staff 
650 0 4 |a dentist 
650 0 4 |a Dentists 
650 0 4 |a global 
650 0 4 |a global health 
650 0 4 |a Global Health 
650 0 4 |a health 
650 0 4 |a health care disparity 
650 0 4 |a Health Workforce 
650 0 4 |a Healthcare Disparities 
650 0 4 |a human 
650 0 4 |a human resources 
650 0 4 |a Humans 
650 0 4 |a inequalities 
650 0 4 |a oral health 
650 0 4 |a Oral Health 
650 0 4 |a population 
650 0 4 |a statistics and numerical data 
650 0 4 |a workforce 
700 1 |a Gallagher, J.E.  |e author 
700 1 |a Hutchinson, L.  |e author 
773 |t International Dental Journal